


Victor : Through Thick and Thin

by JiangShi



Category: Mr Love Queen's Choice, 恋与制作人 | Liàn Yǔ Zhì Zuò Rén | Mr. Love: Queen's Choice (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Smutt (eventually)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21976249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JiangShi/pseuds/JiangShi
Summary: Victor, a great business man seems to have everything he needs to be happy. However, he is looking for a really special someone. She's been missing for many years. Without warnings, the girl reappears and the foundations the young man thought being solids start to crumble. What future is awaiting for Victor now than the mysterious woman is back?If you are 18+, consider joining our MLQC server  =) :  https://discord.gg/sn45jhB
Relationships: Lǐ Zéyán | Victor/Original Female Character(s), victor - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. The call

It was late at night. Really late. Outside, even if the town wouldn't completely fall alseep, the subtle singing of the cars moving in the streets had slowed down, pedestrians became rarer and most of neon signs were shut off. In the high rise skyscraper occupied by the LFG, the Loveland Funding Group, only the top floor lights were still shining through the dark night, showing that someone was still there. Even the janitor was done with his tasks and left the premises a long time ago. Who could still be working so late? If you'd ask any individuals employed bt the company, they would've all answered the same. The Boss. It wasn't unusual for him to stay until the sun comes up. He hadn't built a full empire in just a few years, before he even turned thirty, without working overnight a few times. Victor. This name was on everyone's lips, especially in the business world. The young man appeared from nowhere a few years ago and became a titan in no time. That night, he was finalizing a financing plan for a cinematographic production company. The file didnt need to be done before the night was over, but the man was waiting for a precise time to make a special phone call and going home would have been unbearable. He needed to keep himself busy, and work had, as always, been his saving grace. When the clock rang the long-awaited hour, the tall man closed the file he was working on and took his phone in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He mechanically dialed the phone number, as he did every month. The dial tone kept ringing for a while before his call was finaly taken. 

\- Carter Johnson, private detective, said the man at the other end of the line.  
\- It's Victor, answered the saturnine business man. Anything new?  
\- No, sir. Sorry.  
\- Alright. I'll call you back.

Without any further ado, Victor hanged up. He put down the phone on his desk and brought his hand to his forehead before pinching the edge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger. A weary sigh slipped through his lips. He'd been doing this for over a decade now. And every month, when the verdict fell, the dark haired man couldn't help but feel that weight landing on his shoulders, clinging onto his spine and digging it ice-cold claws into his chest. Every month, it was the same. Suddenly exhausted, probably because of this gloomy feeling , Victor put away the file he was working on a bit earlier and picked up his belongings. His briefcase buckled up, the titan walked toward the elevator, looking absently at the mails on his phone. Once he reached the lift cage, he looked up out of habit. Around him, the glass walls were reflecting his likeness a multiple time. Unlike what he would usually do, since he was actually a bit nostalgic, Victor took the time to look at his reflection. A man, slender and tall, his muscles noticeable under his custom-made suit, with a dreary, almost austere, look on his face... It wasn't really a surprise that the rumors about him would say he was a tyrant. Strands of his ink-black hair were falling before his eyes. His irises, in between a steel-grey and the violet of lavander, that were usually expressing an unshakable coldness, were actually a bit weary. He would've been anyone else but himself and huge dark circles would be underlining his eyes. But he was The Great Victor. Not a single traces of his lack of sleep was tainting his fine features beside that hint of gloominess in his gaze. But it would be gone in a few hours, as always. A new sigh passed his lips as he was looking back at his phone, even if his mind was blank. He suddenly wondered... if he was ever able to find her, would she remember him? Now that he had this ice-cold gaze and this stern expression, would she recognize the little boy she once knew? Many years had gone by since they were separated, but Victor was thinking about it every single day. He wouldn't be at peace before he knew exactly what happened to that lttle girl with those big blue eyes and that innocent face...


	2. The awakening

This part of the town had been deserted many years ago, when its economic sector collapsed. Even if the business has been stable for a few years, no one came back and most of the buildings were simply abandoned. The neighborhood quickly became a hideout spot for delinquents and scoundrels afterward. Therethrough this debauched population, there was also some young idiots coming from the suburbans area around the town, with the intent to raise some real hell without being caught. That night, it was a merry little band of four teenagers, ordinary on all sides, that ventured into these forgotten lands, looking for some thrill. Their twists and turns led them into this old blighted building in a state of disrepair. The pavement all around no longer adhered to the ground and weeds were sticking through every cracks. The facing bricks, on its side, had a poor figure and was collapsing in a few places. The windows were concealed under a thick layer of filth, for those who weren't already shattered on the ground, and wide black streams poured down most of the walls from the gutters. No sign was to be seen on the building to give them a hint about what it held behind its walls, when life swarmed the place. However, the word spreading around town said it was some low-end psychiatric institution where people would drop and forget the lunatics no one wanted around. The four young men were decided to find the truth about it... and maybe break a thing or two while they were at it without being punished. From their very first steps in the building, the boys knew the rumor was true. Rusty wheelchairs and gurneys were left everywhere, in an unambiguous dissaray, throughout what was left of the patients files and some old magazines scattered on the ground. A few chairs, couches and coffee tables were laying, in a poor condition or in pieces, in a corner of the entrance hall, near the reception desk that stood in a similar state of decay. Apparently, no one set foot in here since forever amd thos who came in weren't there to tidy up the place. This ghoulish setting delighted the young men, high on testosterone. What's better than à horror movie scenery to have a little fun? Flashlights in hands, the four boys started to explore the surroundings. However, this floor had nothing interesting for them to see. Many rooms where the beds were nothing but metal frames anymore, a cafeteria where only the tables were left and a common living room with torn open couches and empty bookshelves, the whole thing being covered in dust and dirt. The four friends were therefore pretty exalted when they discovered a staircase going downward. Down the stairs was a long hallway that felt more like a storage unit than a hospital basement. Almost every doors were open onto empty rooms. Of course, the group ran toward the first closed door on their way. Was it the teenage years stupidity that rushed them to pick the option with the highest chances to surprise them, or some morbid curiosity they needed to satisfy by exploring every inches of these creepy ruins of a bygone age? Either way, the group of four bursted in a room that, for a moment, had them breaking into a cold sweat as it appeared to be a mortuary at first sight. One of the walls was entirely occupied by those small square metal boxes where, on a slidding table, dead bodies would be waiting to be sliced open or sent away towards the next step of their tripin the underworld. All of the boys felt that freezing cold shiver running down their spines before it spread into goosebumps on their forearms. None of them was talking anymore, none of them was laughing. However, these metal cases, and simple drain in the middle of the room, were the only similarities this room had with a real mortuary. No chemical products, no surgical equipement, nor tools to handle the corpses, no steel table ready to receive the next passed away for its post-mortem examination... There was only a single stretcher resting against the back wall and countless screens, keyboards and buttons facing the steel boxes. The whole setting was accompanied by its old-fashioned rolling chairs. That such a high-tech equipement was hidden in the basement of a facility abandonned so long ago, even before this equipement was officialy released made no sens at all, but the young men never had a single thought about it, consumed by the excitement caused by their discovery.

\- Whoa, guys... Look at this! said one of them.

\- So cool? added another.

\- Do you think they were experimenting on their patients? Shouted the third one. 

\- It's looking like a movie! the last one laughed.

If they hadn't been this absorbed by their adventure desire, the boys would probably noticed that, even if this place was obviously deserted, the last time someone cleaned this room seemed to be a lot more recent than it was for the rest of the building. Unaware of this information that would've scared away more than one, the group walked toward the large control panel. Unfortuma;y, thinking further than the here and now wasn't really in their habits. Who, with a minimum level of sanity, would visit such a place anyway and, moreover, at night? Who would't back off fin front of a discovery like this odd room they just stepped into? Reckless young men would apparently. In addition to their stupidity, the teenagers pressed, one after the other, a few buttons on that strange control panel, hoping something might turn on. Obviously, the screens remained dark and inert. No luminous indicator lighted up the panel. This was to be expected, of course. The whole neighborhood wasnt powered anymore. Only a very few seedy residential buildings in the area were still lighting up at night. However, something in the darkness of this room, a muffled vibration, seemed to indicate something was still connected to a power line, unlike the rest of the asylum. Disappointed but not disheartened, the group kept moving in the dim room. The gurney not being intriguing enough for the boys, they immediately walked toward the the big steel boxes on the wall behind them.

\- Hey guys! Do you think they forgot someone? said one of the teenagers, jokingly.

\- Well... We just have to check it out! his friend answered. 

No sooner said than done, the most foolhardy of them opened a first casing. Of course, it was empty. Two of the boys giggled nervously, relieved not to find anything after their imagination brought them into their worst nightmare for a splt second. The boy that opened the casing though, was in flamming ball of excitement and was becoming more and more bold as the seconds ticked by. The last one of them, however, was livid. He was struggling with a gut-wrenching feeling of uneasiness, suggesting something was about to go wrong. Two other metal boxes were now opened, and empty. The fourth boy was a bit more comfortable. Maybe everything would be alright in the end. But his friends opened a fourth and a fifth casing... and his relief was blown to pieces. In the last opened box, they found another casing, way more high-tech than anything they saw in their life, was laid on the sliding table. The top part was almost entirely made of glass, while the bottom of it was some kind of carbon fiber or something just as strongly made. Some sort of unknown liquid, dark and obscure, of a high viscosity, filled the tank. The liquid was so impenetrable that it was impossible for the young men to know if there was something, or someone, inside. However, their discovery muted them all. A creeping tingle was passing from one boy to the other. After a long and silent moment, one of them spoke up.

\- D-Do you... think there's someone inside?

Another silence was the only answer he received. His friends stared at the glass tank, with pale faces and arms dangling, only one of them miraculously holding his flashlight over their head.

\- I... don't know, answered another boy. I can't see anything!

Progressively, the dark liquid filling the compartment cleared up. Opaque at first, the mixture became clearer and clearer, revealing shapeless mass... then the outline of a body. The shape was blurry in the first place, but as the liquid was clearing up, it became obvious it was a woman. The four hearts gathered around the casing stopped for a moment. No words came to their mind to portray the horror appearing before them. A woman had been locked up in this... thing and then quite simply stored in this room. How long had she been in there? Was she still alive? A line presenting regular spikes let them think she was. The liquid now translucent, the teenagers were able to look at the entire scenery. A woman, in her twenties, was lying there, connected to a whole bunch of tubes and wires. It was absolutely impossible to know what was their purpose. A black mask, similar to the ones fighter pilots would use, was covering the bottom of her face, apparently supplying her with oxygen. The girl was only wearing a light nightgown, with thin straps. It was almost made transparent because of it immersion in the mysterious fluid. It was giving little to no space to any imagination. Nervertheless, the quartet of young men was absolutely not pleased by the look of the dress. The situation was way too grim. They were petrified. The woman's long hair were eerily white as snow, with some stunning silver shades, and were floating peacefuly around her, just as if her slumber was perfectly natural and serene. The curious young men were still frozen around the glass coffin, completely at lost. Should they notify someone? Who should they call? They could have spent the whole night in this dirty basement with the dust dancing in the light beams of their flashlights, standing still in front of their discovery, if this pesky box from hell did not produced a high-pitched sound, alike a timer ringing the end of the alloted time. Franctic, the boys looked for a way to turn the alarm off, but not a single switch or button was to be found on the casing. Carried away by a gowing sense of fear, one of the boys turned back toward the girl lying under the glass. She was still at peace, unaware of the commotion around her.. until she gently opened her eyes. Two eyes, of the purest celestial blue snapped up the poor young boy. He suddlely felt all his muscles turning into stone. In the unkown girl gaze, there was pain and some kind of weariness, but no fear, no anger... Her expression was almost serene and resigned. She, unlike them, appeared to know what was going on. Her gaze was the shock he needed to get out of his state of astonishement and run away.

\- She's awake! Shit, guys, she's awake! he shouted as he ran towards the staircase.

His friends , however, didn't have the time to verify his claim since a sudden sound of decompression , that noise where you hear the pressured air being relieved, just like you pop open a soda can, drawn all the blood out of their faces. The final blow was given when the lid of the casing was raised up a few inches. The sound they heard came from the unlocking mechanism of that damn casing. However, these few inches were enough for the fluids inside the tank to pour down the ground, chasing away the last teenagers from the room. They would certainly pray not to have nightmares from their seedy discovery for the rest of their lives. The sinister basement was now silent again, beside the sound of the liquid dripping away. The casing was now completly open as the last drops fell to the ground. Her eyes glazed on the ceiling for a long moment, her body remaining completely motionless. She felt atrociously stiff and heavy. Emerging from this unnatural slumber was more exhausting than going through a long day of work. How much time did she spent in this glass pod, immersed in this sticky liquid lingering on her skin? Days? Weeks? Months perhaps? She had no idea. Centuries could have passed since she last walked through that door. Whe she was finaly able to move her fingers, the young lady folded and unfolded them, gradually recovering the use of her arms. She repeated the process with her other hand and her feet as she slowly regained the sensation of her own body. She soflty brought her hand to her face, feeling the weight of the mask on it. The girl. She let her fingers discovering the object for a long time, trying to guess what it was, her hazy mind struggling to provide any satisfying hypothesis. She finaly took it off and the mask fell on the gound with a flat noise, echoing in the room for a while. She then took a deep breath, her lungs waking up in a vitalizing stinging. She looked to the side and, if she wouldn't have been this light-headed, she would have gasped. The room was in such a pitiful state than the woman wondered if a whole millennium had gone by since she was locked up in her glass prison. Inches of dust and dirt had been accumulating, unmistakable sign that nobody came here in ages. In the past, every room she stepped in was pristine clean at all times. It was nothing like this post-apocalyptic scenery. Very carefully, the white haired girl sat on the slidding table, ripping off some of the tubes digging through her skin. She was gradually reconnection with her body. She was now feeling the cold biting her dampened skin, the sting in her lungs calming down and the weight of her drenched clothes sticking to her skin. It was all more feeling like a dream than a come back to reality since everything was still hazy. And her clouded mind... was absolutely useless. With mechanical movements, the lady finaly stood up. The floor was cold but, even if she would've been aware of it, she wouldn't stop. Her mind, the very little portion she could use, was locked on the only thing she was always able to hold on to throughout her miserable life: Him. With another deep breath, she let this invisible thread of energy only she knew about spread over the city. She needed a bit more time for it to grasp onto anything, but she finaly found what she was looking for. She would follow his energy, like a ship would follow the beam of a lighthouse in the darkest night. 


	3. The Reunion

Victor parked his car in his magnificient house's driveway. The headlights brightened up the gigantic glass doors of the carport as his phone rang again in his vest pocket once again. As he was setting the handbrake, the young man with the ink black hair mindlessly took out the device and checked the messages he received for the umpteenth time that day. Sometimes, he was astounded to realize how nobody was able to do their job without consulting him. Another message came in. Once again, the man sighed. Even in the middle of the night, there was someone brave enough, or stupid enough maybe, to send him a text or a mail. Victo put his phone back in his pocket before he turned the engine off, ready to leave the car. He looked up... and was struck by a lightnight of astonishement. He was convinced, for à split second, that his heart stopped and froze in his chest. There, right in front of him, between the car and the glass doors reflecting the headlights behind her, stood a girl with long white hair... he would recognize them amoung a thousand others. She was stanfind there, under the cold and heavy rain. Her head down, her hair fell over her her face. The majority of the tubes rooted deep under her skin were still there, but some of them had been ripped off since de girl was too numb to think about them. The holes in her skin shed some blood, slowly drippling along her forearms and legs. Shocked at first, Victor jumped out of his car, quickly took off his vest and ran toward the girl. She was precariously standing, noticeably exhausted. Victor felt a lump growing in his throat as he was wrapping the white haired lady in his coat. He was expecting she would be in such a pitiful state when he'd finally find her, but imagination and reality are two completely different things. Imagination is always protecting us from what we can't stand... Reality isnt. A sharp pain was digging through his chest and refused to go away. She had been their rat lab all along...

\- Alienore, said Victor in a low, almost whispering, whispering voice, fearing any loud noise woudl scare the girl away.

She slightly lifted up her head, only long enough to meet the steel of this gaze she never forgot, only long enough for Victor to get a glimpse of these paradise blue eyes he missed for so long. There was a thousand things he wanted to say, a thousand question to ask, but he didn't say a word. He wouldn't have been able to anyway since the girl collapsed the very second he laid his hand on her shoulder. Victor caught her just in time, his heart beating wildly in his chest. 

... 

The young man, ink black strands of hair falling before his lavender eyes, ran inside his house and laid the girl on the his couch, a deep anguish making its way insidiously inside him. He sighed, relieved, when he met the blue of her gaze as he kneeled down in front of her. It seemed like the young white haired woman decided she would give him a taste of the whole emotional spectrum, since he was such a stoical man usually.The pretty girl was looking at him with a dull eye. It wasn't the gaze he remembered, but according to the situation, it was propably less worrisome it would've been otherwise. He had no idea about the distance she walked, nor the time she spent under the rain, in such a bad shape. Victor then proceeded to examin the beautiful silver haired girl carefully, inch by inch, one limb at the time. Much to his relief, she wasn't harmed, at least not seriously. A few bruises and scratches caused by her journey through the the town, barefooted, but she seemed in a good health. A few more pounds wouldn't hurt, but she wasn't malnourished either. Globaly, she was as well-fed and healthy as she could be. Without a word, Victor patiently took out the tubes and needles tenaciously stuck in the girl's flesh. He couldn't even imagine what they were used for, his own experience as a test subject being thightly locked and burried deep down a corner of his mind, since he couldn't completely forget. For him, it was all in the past. But for Alienore, the nightmare just ended, bringing him to face his old demons. The silence, of which he was usually the cause, suddenly weighted on him as soon as the last needle was gone. The girl was still silent and hadn't said anythng yet. A terrible thought then crossed the Victor's mind. What if these ruthless scientists deprived the beautiful young woman from her ability to talk? He thought about it for a few seconds then shook his head. It it was the case, it was better for him not to know. The last memory he had from her before that awful day was about a girl chatting up like a storm and as sly as a fox. If he was to discover that the tormentors from their childhood had voluntarily impaired her physical and psychological integrity would drive him insane. Victor felt like he could hunt down every single individuals involved in this mess and kill them with his own hands just to think about it. Yes... It was better for him not to know. 

\- Follow me, he said. I'll run a bath for you. 

If the long haired girl was soaking wet and frozen, she was also covered in mud. With all the scratches, this dirt wouldn't do any good. However, she remained still, completely apathetic. So much that Victor wondered if she was able to hear him. Despite his concern, he told himself this catatonia might be temporary. She just had a rough night, not to mention all the medicinal crap these scientists could've gave her. He delicatly took her by the shoulders, inciting her to get up, then walked her to the somptuous main bathroom of the mansion. The marble tiles were perfectly white and were entirely covering the room, from the floor to the ceiling while the porcelain commodities had their elegant look enhanced by the silver faucets. The pure white of the room was only cut by the black of the bath mat, the towels and a few decorative elements such as a couple vases filled with fresh lilies and a picture frame , just as black, surrounding a reffined painting that suited Victor's sophistication. The man turned on the water and added a few drop of vanilla scented oil. Victor always loved the sweet scent of vanilla, but originally vanilla was Alienore's smell, even when they were kids, locked up in that cold laoratory where they grew up. He undid his tie and placed it meticulously on the granit vanity, between the two stunning sink it was holding. Victor kept going and took off his cufflinks, in order to roll up his sleeves, before he looked back at his friend. Alienore was standing exactly where he left her, staring into the nothingness. A new blade of sharp pain stabbed him in the heart. Feling guitly wasn't new for him, but the girl was probably the only reason he wver felt that way. The many regret that had been resting on his shoulders all these years suddenly weighted a ton. Facing his own remorse, without any warning, wasn't easy at all. If only things had gone better that day. If only he had done better... Unfortunately, this day was unalterable, seared into his mind and today, eighteen years later, he was getting a completely broken Alienore back.

Carrefuly, as gently as possible, Victor took his vest off the girl's shoulders and placed it on the vanity alongside his tie and cufflinks. He was still feeling like the slightest sudden movement, any false move, would shatter his long and white haired friend into a thousand tiny pieces. With great care, Victor got her into the bath, holding her by the arm. He was completely oblivious about her nudity. He was so obsessed with the comfort and care he wanted to give her that this detail flew a hundred feet over his head.   
With almost fatherly tenderness, Victor scrubbed the young woman thoroughly. He cleaned up all the dirt away and washed her hair before he brushed it with care. Unfortunately, even with the time passing by and the care he was giving her, Alienore didn't seem to be ready to leave her lethargic state. At the very least, the woman followed his instructions at the beck and call, without thinking or resisting him at all. The handsome man finally helped her to get out of the bath before he dried her carefully, veryfing one last time every inch of her skin, searching for bruises or cuts that the dirt could've been hiding until now. Not a single scratch besides those he spotted earlier was to be found. Victor then searched the medecine cabined for a while, until he finally found the antibiotic ointment he was looking for. He applied some onto the girl's wounds, bandaged the most serious ones then wrapped her into the large black towel. Alienore's milky complexion was standing out into the dark fabric, like a diamond inside a velvet case. Victor looked down at the soaked nightgown in disdain. No way he'd have her putting it back on. He led the white haired girl to his bedroom, where he got her to sit on the bed. The tall man searched his closet and his dresser's drawers looking for something the very petite woman could wear. He quickly found an almost brand new shirt and a pair of shorts and dressed her up. Blankly staring in front of her, Alienore kept her head down in spite of everything he was doing for her. Victor ran a finger under her chin and lifted up her head. She was still looking at him with such an empty stare that the man was wondering if she knew he was right beside her. Victor then kneeled down in front of her and took her delicate hands inside his, looking straight into her eyes. 

\- Alienore... he said softly. I'm here... Can you hear me? Everything's alright. I'm with you now, you are safe...

The way she gazed at him changed a little, like a light tuned on into the darkest night, juste like if she just came back to her. This time, she really looked back at him. 

\- Victor... she whispered.

However, that's all she said. After a few seconds, the spark of life into her eyes flickered than disappeared again. Alienore was back into her silent numbness, probably trapped in her own body. She was just there, right next to him, but so far at the same time. She was completely out of reach for now and he felt his heart froze, causing a sharp pain in his chest. 

\- C'mon, let's get you in bed, he said while tears gathered in his eyes, even if not a single one of them would dare to cross the barrier of his eyelashes. 

His shoulders dropped. He didn't know what else he could do. He could talk to her until the sun comes up, but he would probably not be getting any answers. Victor sighed and led the Alienore to the guest room, few steps away from his. I was a huge but impersonnal room, juste like the rest of the house. The soulless look of the place recalled the designs of the most luxirouse hotels. The modern look was giving the place an undeniable flair, a stunning elegance, but, once again, all this beige and this black over a white background was stiill an all-around style that was giving the place some sort of coldness. I was just like if the young business man tried to preserve himself, to keep himself drom feeling home and feel exposed. Vulnerability never had its place in Victor's life. 

Anyways, the black haired man opened the fancy bed sheets before putting Alienore to bed since she wasn't moving by herself for now. Victor tucked her in and sat on the edge of the bed, a hand distractedly resting on her calf, lovingly covered by the blanket. Alienore stared vacantlyin front of her for a while, but soon enough she closed her eyes and her breath quickly became slow and steady. Victor stayed for a moment, fearing the girl would disappear as soon as he'd leave the room. After a few minutes, the exhaustion cause by the emotional disaster of the night caught him up and he left the room, turning the light out and silently closing the door behind him. Victor walked to the living room. A splendid grand piano sat almost in the middle of the room, facing a sumptuous white sectional sofa. Against a wall, a black marble buffet was presenting a tray holding a crystal carafe and its assorted glasses. The magnificient container was filled with Brandy, one of the young man's favorite drink. Victor poured himself a glass and headed towards the other end of the room, where a gigantic window stood there as a wall. He pressed his forearm against it and leaned his forehand on his arm as his gaze lingered on the landscape below him. After a small cliff, a wooded area was creating a natural buffer between his house and the rest of the city, whose lights were shimmering in the distance. The man took a sip of his drink. He found some confort in the burning senstion of the alcohol in his throat. The woody aromas remained in his mouth for a while as he left the disordened stream of his thoughts fluttering in all directions. Victor slowly sipped his glass as he kept staing at the window, enjoying the silence and the bitterness of his drink until he took his phone out in his pant pocket where he put it earlier, somewhere between Alienore's bath and now. 

\- Goldman, cancel my whole planning for tomorrow. I won't be there, he said like a robot when his drowsy assistant took the call. 

He hung up before the poor man could realise what terrible twist of fate just crashed down on him. Victor moved away from the window to put his glass back on the buffet, next to the tray holding the rest of the expensive set. Someone would pick it up, clean it and put it back in place before he knew it. The handsome man then walked towards his room, after et looked one last time at Alienore'.s door. He would be fast asleept once he'd slip into his luxurious silk sheets. 

...

Victor had been asleep for barely and hour or two when screams coming from the guest room startled him. The drowsiness was gone as soon as he opened his eyes and Victor jumped out of his bed without thinking before he ran in the hallway to burst in Alienore's room, fearing an intruder was hurting her. A split second passed before his eyes got used to the darkness, but no one was in the room besides the woman, fiercely fighting some invisible threat in her bed. She was apparently struggling with a gruesome nightmare. Victor, his heart racing after a rude awakening, was relieved to see she wasn't in danger. However, he didn't stop to catch his breath, quickly kneeling alongside the bed, next to Alienore's head, fondly runninng his fingers through her hair. 

\- Shhh... It's just a dream. I'm here now. It's alright. I will never let anything happen to you anymore...

The silver haired girl progressively stopped screaming and kicking until she started to cry. She threw herself at Victor's neck and held him so tightly it took his breath away. Once the surprise was gone, he returned her embrace. He buried his chin in the hollow of her neck and took a deep breath. Vanilla's scent quickly surrounded him. He was feeling Alienore's frail body trembling against his. Victor climbed on the bed, leaning his back against the solid wooden headboard behind him, without letting go of the girl a single second. She was clinging to his shirt like a castaway clings to a life buoy and obstinately refused to move a single inch away from him. For a long time, Victor lulled his friend to sleep, her head resting on his chest. 

\- It's alright... go back to sleep, he said from time to time, with soft and reassuring voice. 

After a while, Alienore's crying decreased until they completely stop. She kept sniffing few more minutes, but her breath went back to its slow and steady rythm. Victor kept running his hand up and down her back to ensure she was sound asleep. However, when he tried to move away from her and go back to his room, the young woman moaned miserably as she gripped his shirt thighter. Apparently, she didn't want him to go now. Victor wondered if it was some kind of reflex or if she really knew he was leaving. He stayed still few more minutes then tried again. In vain. Alienore did the exact same thing she did before. He wasn't aware of it, but hald a smile lifted the corner of his mouth. Victor returned to his initial place in the bed, laying down comfortably before he locked his arms around Alienore again. The girl immediately seemed to be at peace. The man looked out by the window. The sun was about to rise already. The night would be short, but his sleep would be peaceful and uninterrupted by the darkness of his thoughts.


	4. The Morning

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was high in the sky. Victor stretched carefully, remembering last night’s events. Alienore was back, out of nowhere... It was way too good to be true. It was probably just another of his tortured dreams. With a bitter sigh, the young man turned over the other side of the bed, convinced he would only meet an empty space. However, two dazzling blue eyes, full of life, caught his gaze instead. The girl beside him was awake. She’d been there, sitting next to him for a while, watching him as he was sleeping. Victor felt the corner of his mouth cracking into a faint smile, half-amused, half-relieved. When was the last time he smiled? He couldn’t remember. It was apparently a long time again since the muscles of his jaw quickly felt numb. Not a single staff member at LFG knew anything else than his usual stone-cold face. But Alienore was coming from another time and place. A time where he was once vulnerable and sensitive before he became the imperturbable giant he was now. A place where his feelings where expressed freely before he started choking them as soon as they were appearing.

\- Hey, he said in a hoarse low voice. Slept well?

Alienore nodded keenly. This was the energy the dark haired man once knew. She was still not talking, but it was already a significant improvement.

\- Hungry? He asked as he sat in the bed.

Once again, the white haired girl nodded vigorously. The titan left the bed, running a hand through his ink black hair. This time, Alienore followed him by herself, which drew another discreet smile from the tall business man. His cheeks would quickly start to hurt if he kept smiling like that, since it was such a rare phenomenon. The young woman behind him, Victor walked towards the kitchen. The refrigerator was recently filled with fresh groceries, as always. They were spoilt for choices. Victor went for something simple, something his friend could eat easily. He then took eggs, vegetables, cheese and bacon out from the refrigerator and places them on the gigantic kitchen counter-top made of granite and started to prepare their breakfast. The man was, against all odds, an excellent cook and a sumptuous omelet was soon placed in front of the beautiful girl with the other-worldly eyes. She looked at the dish with curiosity and amazement, just like she attentively observed every moves Victor made as he was cooking. Her eyes were sparkling like a kid in front of a big container of candies and sweets instead of a simple omelet, as tasty it may be. The tall man joined the girl on the bar stools on the other side of the counter and handed her a fork before he sat in front of his own plate. As he took his first bite, Alienore was still not moving, staring at the utensil she was holding with an insecurity then the automatic but elegant moves of the man beside her. When he noticed what she was doing, Victor sadly realized she didn’t even know how to use an object as simple as a fork. As lab rats, they were eating without any utensil, and apparently, it had always been the case for Alienore. The man stood up and got close to his friend. Standing behind her, his large chest softly brushing her shoulders, Victor carefully placed the fork in the girl’s hand and her fingers around it. Her technique was a bit lame and most of the food wouldn’t leave the plate in the end. One try after the other, Victor gently rectified the position of her hand and the girl was seriously trying to bring a bite to her lips again. After a few minutes, Alienore was good enough to eat on her own and the man went back to his place. Of course, he kept an eye on her as she was now devouring the content of her plate. He slowly finished his breakfast, a faint smile on his lips when his phone lighted up. His almost peaceful expression disappeared instantly. Good old Victor’s face was back has he stretched his arm to grab the mobile. He briefly looked at the message he just received: A desperate try from his assistant to reach him and maybe convince him to come to work if he, by any chances, came back to his senses, because it was pure dementia from a man like Victor to be absent from work. The man didn’t hesitate a single second and silenced the phone. There was no way he’d be working today. There was so much things to do that he feared they wouldn’t have enough time to complete them all. They had to get to it as soon as possible. The plates emptied, Victor gathered them and quickly did the dishes before he put them away, Alienore analyzing his every move. Her curiosity was insatiable and everything was new to her. She showed interest in everything. Everything delighted her. It was… cute. Her pure innocence was refreshing for Victor. He was used to hypocrites, interested, avid and falsely generous people that were asking for the moon before they’d show any sign of gratitude or surprise. The business world was filled with filthy rich people and merciless. This atmosphere often took its toll on the titan. People disgusted him. Maybe that was why he became as cold and aloof over the years, as a bitter shade slowly appeared in the steel gray eyes. The only certitude was that, if his daily routine turned him into a taciturn man, the young woman lightened everything up and today he was spending the whole day with her. The dishes completely done, the tall man turned around to look at his friend, still sitting on her stool, her elbows resting on the counter and her chin in her hands. Victor reached out to her.

\- Follow me, we’ll try to find something suitable for you to wear today.

Alienore tilted her head on the side, like a puppy trying to figure out a new command, before she stood up, running after him with her silver hair dancing around her like a halo of light. She followed him, joyfully scampering along, into the young man’s room until he reached his closet. Victor took a step in the walk-in closer, standing still for a moment afterwards, his chin in his hand. He searched through his clothes, with a highly focused look on his face. What could he possibly give her? Whatever he’d be doing, his clothes were too big for the frail girl. He would need to show some improvisation skills. Victor took a white t-shirt out and a pair of light blue jeans shorts. He put the clothes on the bed, studying them a few seconds before he left the room under Alienore’s worried eyes. He came back quickly, a pair of scissors in hand, and plunged them into the shorts without hesitating. With a few cuts, Victor turned the shorts into a pretty skirt with slight slits on the back and front of it. He went back to the closet and took out a thin leather belt he then added to the outfit. Satisfied, Victor handed it to his friend.

\- Here. Will you be able to put that on alone? He asked, running a restless hand through his dark hair.

Dressing her up when she was almost completely out was something, but doing it while two big bright eyes were staring at his every moves was a completely different thing. Hopefully, the girl nodded once more, with her usual candid attitude.

\- Good. You have five minutes, he said before leaving the room.

Of course, Victor didn’t go really far. As soon as he reached the other side of the door and closed it, he leaned against the hallway wall… only to realize his clothes were in his closet, in the room where Alienore was getting dressed. He chuckled softly as he was facing his own stupidity. He was rarely making dumb moves like this. He’d need to change once the young woman would be done. He also thought about going for a quick shower while he was waiting, but the thought of letting Alienore unattended was still making him a bit nervous. If everything was going well today, he would allow himself to take one once they’d be back. After a few minutes, Victor knocked at the door.

\- Are you done? He asked.

As soon as his own question stopped reverberating in the air, the young man cursed at himself for being such a fool once again, rolling his eyes. She wasn’t talking, how could she answer? He was constantly trying to sort his thoughts out since Alienore was back, to no avail. This wasn’t like him at all. As irritating it was, he was still laughing at himself for the moment. However, the door quickly opened on an all dressed up and smiling Alienore. Victor looked at her from top to bottom. The result was satisfying enough. He replaced the neckline of the shirt and centered the belt around the young woman fine waist before he smile at her softly.

\- That’s good. I’m going to change too. You can wait in the living room.

Two big question marks appeared into the girl’s eyes. Victor could almost read all the questions overwhelming her in the blue of the eyes. The what? Where was it? Where was he going? Would she be safe if he wasn’t right next to her. Before Alienore’s growing panic, the black haired man immediately revised his tactic.

\- Alright, Alright, he groaned, a bit annoyed, as he gently put his hands on her shoulders. Everything is fine. Today, I should be working, as I’m usually doing, but I decided to stay with you for the day. I won’t be able to do so every day, but it’s inevitable for the moment.

The young woman was already calming down. Victor kept explaining her how the day would be going by.

\- I don’t have everything here for you to be comfortable. We need to go and buy you some clothes and many other things you will need. Understood?

The girl nodded, a few strands of her silvery-white hair falling before her eyes. Victor felt that she wasn’t understanding everything he said, but got enough of it to be at peace. On the other side, the young man seemed to be hesitating. He deeply breathed in and turned the girl around to bring her back in the room, before directly leading her in a corner.

\- You stay there and you don’t look, he said, as firmly as possible without completely erasing the tenderness he had for Alienore, fearing he would scare her.

At work, they would all be completely petrified if they’d see him like this. The Victor they knew was rarely speaking, and when he did it was always in a stone cold voice. He was usually barking orders at them or expressing his opinion bluntly. Since he was such a demanding and meticulous man, he had high expectations and his comments were rarely pleasant to hear. However, it was his absolute opposite that was taking care of Alienore. Hopefuly! Otherwise, she wouldn’t have recognized her long lost friend. Back then, Victor was a sweet, caring and easily smiling little boy. Even if he was already not much of a talker as kid, he only had good words and encouragements for his comrades. Among the children detained by the laboratory, Victor was one of the eldest. He was then often taking care of the younger kids that would hide behind him at the slightest suspicious sound. Four years younger than him, Alienore was one of these children he used to protect as he could from the height of his ten short years of life. It was probably because of this nightmare they went through together that the bond between them was this powerful. So powerful in fact, that even the years couldn’t keep Alienore from bringing the true Victor out of the ice fortress he built around himself. The day they were separated, the day the eldest kids tried to escape, taking the youngest ones with them, the researchers took back the little girl with the long white hair at the last moment despite her friend desperate efforts. He couldn’t remember how he ended up unconscious, but Victor woke up in a pile of debris, covered with dust… and alone among the bodies of many guards and a few kids. A strong feeling of failure grew into him back then, and the years after didn’t make it better. The more they passed, the more he had hardened himself, the more he turned in on himself and the more the ice around his heart thickened. However, there he was now, bending himself over backwards to ensure the young woman well-being. Making sure that she was following his instructions, Victor quickly took an elegant pair of jeans and a dark blue polo shirt out of his closet before he completed the outfit with a few items from his underwear drawer. He changed quickly, looking back at the girl a few times. Victor wasn’t exactly a prude man but he was suddenly feeling a bit shy, just like a teenager would. Of course, Alienore did not think about turning around a single second. She lifted her chin and was looking at the joint between the walls and the ceiling, her hands joined in her back as she was moving her hips from one side to the other. The girl never showed the slightest hint of malice and apparently, even with the years gone by, she was still the same. Now that he was properly dressed, the tall business man went back to her.

\- I’m done, he said. Let’s go.

This time, he led her towards the entrance where Victor slid open a door hiding a whole collection of shoes...but it was only men shoes, to Victor’s size. A glance at Alienore’s lovely feet was enough to tell none of the shoes would fit them. A slight grunt passed through Victor’s lips, pressed together, as he was contemplating this new obstacle. As any other business man having such a problem-solving mindset, Victor hated being taken by surprise without even the idea of a solution in hand. Since he woke up, he was constantly facing new frustrations and his patience was wearing thin. Hopefully, Alienore was by his side and he was going through those unexpected puzzles for her. Otherwise, he would probably already be mumbling curse words as he would try to go over these situations he wasn’t prepared for. Resolving any issues happening inside the LFG was like a second nature to him. He was meant for it and made it his daily routine. But this… This kind of problems where he had no hints about what to do, where he kept improvising was irritating for him. With a long sigh, pressing his fingers on his nose bridge, Victor closed his eyes. He took the time to empty his mind, breathing in and out slowly. When he opened his eyes, he already felt like this would be easier to solve than he thought. His iron-steel gaze, with soft lavender shades, slowly detailed every shoes displayed on the shelves in the closet. That’s how the answer jumped at him. Victor took a pair of black leather thongs and placed them in front of the girl.

\- it’s not perfect, but it will do, he said in a neutral voice.

Alienore smiled at him, uncovering her perfect white teeth, as to say it was fine. Victor had no way to be sure about it, since the young woman was remaining silent since she came back, but the connection between them was strong enough for him to feel like he was understanding. The girl slipped her feet in the shoes and they finally left the great business man house.

  
  


  
  



	5. The Mall

Lunch time was over when the two young people left the shoe store. Since they had many different things to buy, Victor decided the shopping mall was the best bet for them to gather as much items as possible in a single place. Even if he was rarely participating to such activities, since shopping had no interest for him, the tall man wasn’t planning to enter the first shop he would see. He took the time to look at and analyze the map near the entrance and picked one that could potentially meet his expectations. He had two main request for everything he would buy: Quality and elegance. He was often paying more than the average individual would be willing to pay for something, but Victor was always following his internal balance. If he put the price, the object had to be of a consistent quality. In the end, Alienore and him left this one boutique with and impressive quantity of shopping bags. The young woman was happily scampering behind him, her gaze actively detailing everything around her. She was so absorbed by all the newness around her that Victor almost lost track of her as soon as they stepped into the mall. He then took her hand and held it tightly, not letting go until she was sitting on the shoe shop armchair, a saleswoman kneeling in front of her so she could try a first pair of shoes. Once he let go of her, Victor leaned against a pillar right next to the armchair and attentively watched the whole process. He couldn’t resist the brightness in Alienore’s eyes and half a smile crooked the corner of his lips before his usual stone cold mask came back. Victor’s fierce look was back since the very minute the stepped in the parking lot earlier. It was well-established mechanism that would probably stick to him forever. His apparent lack of emotions had been is saving grace after he escaped the Lab. He’d never suffered as much as he did the day he woke up alone in the building yard filled with wreckage of the now empty and burning facility. He swore he would never feel that way again and started to suppress his feelings, even if he tried everything he could to find his missing friend over the years. The girl was now trying an umpteenth pair of shoes. Despite his cold steel-like gaze, the young dark haired man wasn’t insensitive about the light that was now shining into Alienore’s eyes. Last night, to his great concern, there was nothing in them. This morning, he happily welcomed back the lively spirit and the genuine happiness Alienore always showed, even when they were young. And now, there was something new, something he never had the chance to witness before. Alienore was greedy for life, she was enjoying it and asking for more. Every single thing she was discovering was intriguing to her This light… as soon as he saw it, it became Victor’s most precious thing in this world. No luxurious car, no expensive painting nor shiny diamonds would ever be as valuable to him than this light in the girl's eyes. It was priceless. Maybe that spark or joy temporarily distracted him, because they left the shop with enough shoes to make any fashionista in this world fairly jealous. The tall man with the steel gray eyes probably bought her one or two pair of every type of shoes in the store: sneakers, boots, ballerinas, booties, sandals, high-heels… everything went by. The poor saleswoman first brought in good faith a few shoe models but she quickly found herself absolutely helpless in front of Alienore’s silence. Victor stepped in before the woman could ask anything about his friend. He made a list of every type of shoes he wanted to see at Alienore’s feet in the next minutes. This time, it was the white haired girl turn to feel helpless. She had a hard time keeping up with the great number of shoes appearing before her and looked at the tall man with a hint of panic in her eyes. Victor then knelt down next to her and grouped pairs of similar types two by two. He showed the groups of shoes to the young woman, having her picking one pair from each group. The whole process first seemed long and irritating, but Alienore and him ended up having some fun. The saturnine man’s face even lighted up a bit as the young woman was laughing out loud when she was stumbling on an undeniably hideous model. The saleswoman looked at them with dreamy eyes all along before she told Alienore that she was a really lucky woman to have such a devoted boyfriend as Victor was paying. Of course, the white haired girl looked at her with a puzzled face, trying to understand, while Victor completely ignored her intervention.

The two of them were now sitting in the food court, with about ten bags around them. Some passers-by were glancing at them with curiosity, but since Victor’s expression was so uninviting, it was quickly chasing away any individual that would look at them for too long. However, the tall man was also a relatively known figure. This world only knew a few men this successful at such a young age, and even fewer with features this pleasant. If he hadn’t known success in the business field, a man with such harmonious traits and such a delightful body would’ve had mannequin agencies running behind him. Hopefully, Victor was excellent in business matters…. Because is bad temper was quite something to deal with already. New text messages were assaulting his phone as the constant vibrations of the mobile in his jeans pocket were telling him. A hint of irritation created a discreet wrinkle over his left eyebrow. When someone says they’re unable to show up at work, it means there’s a high probability they’ll be unavailable right? Then why were they still trying to send all those text messages he wouldn’t be reading anyway? Unless LFG’s building was on fire or under a fiscal department investigation, Victor intended to be unreachable until the end of the day. Alienore, on her side, was still looking everywhere, just like a child, a beautiful smile enlightening her face. The man took advantage of this moment to look at the girl more attentively, realizing he didn’t really detailed her yet, at least not this way. Of course, she changed a lot in the past 18 years. The features of her face had matured, her silhouette elongated and she couldn’t escape from the delightful curves of a woman’s body, but essentially, Alienore was quite the same. A delicate constitution, big and bright blue eyes, an elegant small nose, a fine jawline and long silvery-white hair… plumper lips maybe, but it wasn’t a drastic change. The little girl simply grew into a beautiful young woman. The peculiar aspect of her hair was only adding a hint of singularity to her alluring charm. Victor’s jaw, previously clenched, slightly untighten as he was detailing the girl appearance. It’s precisely when Victor face relaxed a bit that Alienore’s stomach growled fiercely. The girl stopped looking around right away, turning her sky blue gaze towards his friend with surprise and shame on her face. The man chuckled discreetly. Apparently, Alienore had never experienced hunger, to his great relief, and their shopping session made her hungry.

\- I’m going to get something to eat, he said as he stood up, before leaning against the table as to emphasize the importance of what he was going to tell her next. Don’t move. You stay here.

Making sure the girl perfectly understood his instructions, Victor walked towards one of the food stalls a but further in the food court. Concerned about leaving Alienore’s alone, he went for one of the shorter waiting lines. The food stall he picked was selling burgers and other meals usually found in fast-foods services. Nothing too complicated. Perfect. It was almost his turn to order their meal when his phone started to vibrate incessantly in his pocket, stronger and longer than it did before. He was receiving a call. With an angry wrist movement, he picked up.

\- Goldman, is the sentence “ I will be absent” not clear enough for you?

\- I know sir, answered his assistant pitifully. But the panic’s on, here. Our receptionist does her best to reschedule all your appointments, but the men you were supposed to meet this afternoon just showed up… it seems that it was unfortunately left out from the list of people to call…

Vctor sighed, exasperated, and pinched his nose bridge between his fingers, as he did each time he was feeling irritated. Why were these idiots making the worst mistakes only when he wasn’t around to rectify the situation? It was almost laughable. Fortunately, this time, it was quite easy to deal with.

\- The file is in my desk, last drawer on the left, bottom one, he snarled in an ice-cold voice, leaving no place for argumentation. Read it quickly and you should be able to lead this meeting without me. A monkey could do it. I’m busy and I don’t have time for such stupidities. Do you understand, Goldman? Do what it takes.

\- Yes, sir…

A soon as his assistant pronounced these two small words, Victor hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. The clerk was waiting for his order.

When the steel gray eyed man came back towards their table, a tray with their meals in hands, he was suddenly and inexplicably feeling hesitant. An uneasy feeling churned his stomach, just like when you know something is about to go wrong. Going around the last food stall between him and their table, Victor saw the bags on the ground but he thought it was strange that he couldn’t catch a glimpse of Alienore, even just a leg or an arm. Unfortunately, now the table was directly in his sight and his fears were realized. The pretty white haired girl wasn’t were he left her earlier. If his heart stopped for a split second, it quickly started to beat again, faster, pounding in his chest so strongly that it hurt as he walked faster towards the table. He put the tray, that suddenly weighted a ton, down. All the bags were exactly where they left them, but Alienore was no where to be seen. Every breath Victor took was more painful than the previous one as his gaze frantically explored his surroundings, hoping to find the young woman. The more the seconds went by, the more he could feel the panic compressing his throat, despite the fact that his expression was as cold as always. The blood was rushing through his temples, hammering heavily, and tiny drops of cold sweats appeared at the edge of his hairline. Where was she? Did THEY find her? This eventuality sent a long and cold shiver down his spine. This was the final straw for Victor.

\- Alienore! He shouted, roughing up a few passers-by on his way.

Victor kept walking, faster, in one direction and then the other, desperately looking for the tiniest clue that could help him to find the girl. She couldn’t hide very long with silvery-white hair like hers! The tall man felt the mental breakdown closing up on him. His breath was nothing more than a hoarse murmur when he finally caught the glimpse of a flash of light. His eyes immediately followed the light to its source: long and shiny white hair falling down a delicate girl’s back. She was just a few steps away from the table where they sat earlier, behind a wall panel mad of wide wooden slats that separated the food court from the rest of the hall, giving more tranquility to those that went for a meal. That’s why he couldn’t see her before he went around that tall half-wall. On the other side, a large fountain, built into the mall floor, was spouting a calm stream of water down different levels. Its wide edge could be used as benches and that’s where Alienore was sitting, absorbed by the flow of water in the artificial pond. Victor almost ran towards her. As soon as he reached the fountain, he grabbed her by the shoulders, unaware of the strength he put in his grip.

\- Alienore! He barked. You idiot! I told you not to move! Don’t ever do that again, you hear me?

The girl gasped, startled, as Victor turned her around to face him. She was not only surprised, but didn’t expect her friend to react so violently. The astonishment in her eyes quickly turned into fear, and tears welled up her beautiful blue eyes, hanging to her lashes like tiny water pearls. She was still looking at him, clearly not understanding the sudden burst of anger of her friend, holding back her tears. All the anxiety Victor felt few seconds earlier disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only a strong feeling of guilt and discontent about himself. The man let go of her shoulders to wrap her in his arm, holding her tightly against his torse where his heart was still racing. Through his own heartbeat, he could also feel hers, just as erratic. The CEO ran a tender, but timid, hand through the silk of the girl’s white hair before he rested his chin on the top of her head. Victor took a deep breath and Alienore’s sweet scent immediately calmed him down. When he spoke again, the soft tone he used only with her was back.

\- I got carried away...he huffed. It won’t happen again.

These apologies in disguise seemed to satisfy the young woman since she tightly gripped his shirt, pressing herself against him so she could bury her face in his large chest. Victor let out a sigh of relief. Everything was fine. Nothing happened to Alienore. She was fine. She was safe and sound. When she finally agreed to part from him and leave the security of his embrace, the dark haired man plunged into the blue of Alienore’s eyes.

\- On the other hand, I must always know where you are, he said seriously, making sure he wasn’t scaring her again though. What in the world crossed your mind for you to get up from this table?

Her eyes were still humid, but the tears were no longer threatening to run down her flushed cheeks. Without hesitation, nor really parting away completely, Alienore turned her upper body towards the pond and pointed a finger at it. Victor gaze followed her indications and discovered, peacefully swimming at the bottom of the artificial pond, a whole pack of Koï fishes, all more colorful than each other. No wonder why she got lost in her thoughts as she looked at them. Such a beautiful shoal of fish was already a pretty pleasant sight for mere mortals, but for a soul that was still a stranger into this world like Alienore, who only knew about the white tiles of the labs and the coats of the scientists, it was much more fascinating. Victor’s expression softened slightly. The young woman’s innocence had something refreshing and it was impossible for Victor to hold any hard feelings against her. In fact, she was bringing some kind of peace into his life. Peace… It had been so long since he last felt the slightest hint of serenity. In fact, it had also been a long time since he last allowed himself to feel anything. Victor had completely suppressed his feelings, become the ice giant he was now. His obsession to find Alienore pushed him beyond all limits. But now that she was back… the fences he built around himself were threatening to burst open. Maybe… Maybe they could both aspire to a normal life? Maybe he could start enjoying what life had to offer? And Alienore… Victor was wondering what she’d like to do with her life, now that it was all hers. Whatever she’d want to do, he would make sure she’d have everything to pursue her goals and reach them. He owed her that… He had already been entitled to 18 long years of freedom. He got 18 years to discover the world around him, to get to know himself and build his own life as he became the strong man he wanted to be. But for Alienore, the nightmare had just ended and he was responsible for all these years she’d been captive. An underhanded sens of guilt crept up inside his chest, but he quickly chased it, the corner of his mouth moving up in his usual half-smile, amused, as he looked at Alienore.

\- You like fishes? He scoffed in a gentle tone. I’ll bring you in a place where you’ll see a lot of pretty fishes on another day.

The young woman eyes immediately brightened up, a thousand stars suddenly shining in the blue of her irises. Victor’s proposal had the desired effect and Alienore nodded keenly. Her good mood and her bright smile were back, without any remaining traces of the tears that were so close to roll down her cheeks earlier.

\- Alright, he agreed as he turned the girl in the table’s direction. Let’s go and eat before it gets cold and completely inedible.

Alienore chuckled happily and scampered along with grace and ease in front of him until she reached the table where, by some kind of miracle, everything was exactly where they left it. Sometimes, Victor was wondering if the girl was really able to understand everything he was saying, or if she was just going with what she could comprehend. He already knew that some specific terms were unknown to her, but beside that, she never seemed to have any trouble at understanding whatever he said. Once she stood by the table, Alienore stopped and looked down a t the food with a puzzled face. She blinked a few times, intrigued, and she bent over the tray, touching one of the wrapped burgers with the tip of her index finger. Victor was looking at her, wondering what bee got into her bonnet for her to act that weird, when the harsh truth came back to him, once more. Alienore never saw a single fast-food packaging before. She was obviously wondering what was that foil thing and how in the world she was supposed to eat it. The only food she had since she was back had been fresh and served on a plate. However, the pretty woman wasn’t discouraged by strange presentation of the food and took a french fry she brought up close to her face. She attentively examined it for a moment before she took a bite. Her expression became funnily serious, just like if she was analyzing the taste. Her reaction was not long in coming. The white haired girl joyfully giggled as she looked back at the man behind her with a pleased smile. Sighing, despite the hint of a smile on his face, Victor made her sit down.

\- Dummy… he said softly before taking the wrapping off one of the burgers and putting it down in front of her, carefully disposed on the foil-like paper.

The tall man then sit down with her, the steel of his gaze rlingering on Alienore while she was examining the burger the same way she did with the fry. Victor unwrapped his own sandwich, a quick and discreet frown distorted his captivating features for a split second. He was not fond of this kind of gastronomy, but he wasn’t about to be finicky in today’s circumstances. Obviously, it wasn’t exactly the kind of meal he would’ve given Alienore in a perfect scenario, but she seemed quite happy to discover new flavors and scents. One meal would not harm them. He was still planning to take her to a much better restaurant for dinner tonight. In fact, he already had one in mind. Victor was eating slowly while Alienore was already done with her burger. Without a word, he split his almost untouched sandwich in two and placed the intact half in front of the girl, just like he did earlier with the full burger. The young woman looked up at him with gratitude while he pretended to look away. As with the previous burger, Alienore was soon done eating. Victor repressed a smile. For now, he wouldn’t scold the girl for being a glutton, but she wouldn’t get away with it either.

\- You fool… Don’t count on me to let you stuff yourself like that all the time. You’re going to make yourself sick.

Even if he was saying this, deep down, Victor was thrilled that his friend had such an appetite. If he was worried about her health in the beginning, he was now relieved. Alienore’s appetite would probably be regulated over time. He had no way to know when was her last real meal, and not some substitution fluids, before that omelet he cooked for her in the morning. As a reply to Victor’s mockery, Alienore smiled, a beautiful, heartwarming smile, at him, absolutely not concerned by his words. Once they were done with their lunch, Victor picked up what was left of it and got rid of it in the appropriate locations. The table as clean as it was before they came, he called on Alienore, picking up as many bag he could.

\- Let’s go, he simply said.


	6. The Night

After a more than needed stop by the car to drop what they bought in the morning, the tall man and the silvery white haired girl went back into the mall to resume their shopping session. This time, they needed more than a trip to the car to free their hands from the many bag they gathered in the afternoon. If Alienore could’ve contented herself with a few outfits only, Victor preferred to have her ready for any occasions that might come their way. Sport outfits, casual outfits, pajamas, evening attire, etc… The brand new white haired lady’s wardrobe was now counting more items than the business man’s closet itself. He would probably even have to put some of the new clothes in his own closet since the guest room’s storage would obviously be too small to contain them all. 

The stores were about to closed when they left the last one of Victor’s mental list. The young woman was now fully equipped in basic products as shampoos, shower gels, toothbrush, body lotions, etc… However, Victor deliberately ignored the cosmetics department where the shelves were full of make up or any hair product imaginable. He passed by anything that was more complicated than a hairbrush. If Alienore ended up showing any interest about them on day, he’d get her some. But for now, he had not intention to initiate her to it. The girl was a natural beauty and her fine traits didn’t need any form of alterations. Developing complexes about her appearance by being confronted to unrepresentative figures was the last thing she needed. Her silver hair would, sooner or later, be a source of uneasiness for the delicate young woman, no matter how beautiful they were, when she would realize how unique she looked. People would always turn around as she’d pass by. She would always leave curious whispers from those wondering if her hair color was a natural wonder or the work of an eccentric hairdresser, if she was a freak or not. Since he couldn’t possibly preserves her from this kind of reactions, Victor would make sure Alienore wouldn’t feel ashamed . He’d make sure she’d be proud of her uniqueness instead. 

The sun was long gone when the two friends put down their last bags in the car. As he planned it earlier, Victor then brought the girl to one of the restaurants he liked, to end this long and busy day with a good meal. It was a really small establishment, unknown from many, where the food, despite not being especially sophisticated, was surprising customers with its exquisite mixes and tastes that couldn’t be found anywhere else yet. Once more, Alienore enjoyed herself, with a bit more restraint.

Later, when Victor parked the car in front of his house, the girl was sound asleep in the passenger seat. After turning off the engine, Victor quietly left the car to go around it and get the girl. He put an arm under her knees and the other one under her shoulder before he put her arm around his neck. Unlocking the door with a single hand was more complicated than he thought and almost caught himself swearing, but got out of it with a simple frustrated sigh. Victor slowly made his way to the guest room and got the girl in bed. After checking on her one last time, making sure she was still sleeping, he went back to the car and made his way back to the house with a handful of bags. He did it a few more times before he finally cleared the car from their purchases of the day. 

For the next hour and a half, the young man with the steel gray eyes was busy putting away the clothes he bought for the girl in his own closet, taking his time to make effective and proper decisions. He started with the evening dresses, since Alienore would probably have less opportunities to wear them. In the end, besides the shoes he was about to put away in the hall’s closet, next to his, almost all the items found their places with his own clothes in his room’s walk-in closet. The only bags left untouched were containing more… private items, such as pajamas and underwear, that Victor carefully avoided. He placed the bags next to his dresser so Alienore could put them away in the guest room by herself in the morning. He gnawed at the bit earlier that day, by placing his precious friend into the care of the sales women while he waited for her to come back outside the door, worried sick about what could happen while he wasn’t right next to her. No way he would start looking through that stuff now!

Once he was done, Victor walked over to the living room, just like he used to do at the end of every day. As always, just like the day before, he poured himself a glass of Brandy from the crystal set. The glasses had been cleaned out thoroughly and placed back on the tray. Tonight, instead of walking towards the gigantic window at the end of the room, he sat in one of the armchair next to the chimney where the fire was peacefully burning as it always did at this time of the year, thanks to the house keeping team. There was still no snow for the moment and the weather was still pretty comfortable, as if winter was postponed by the late heat waves Falls had for them this year. 

Victor hadn’t realized until now, but he was also pretty exhausted by this strange day they spent running from a store to another. Surprisingly, he was quite satisfied about it. Even if he was out of his comfort zone the whole time, the man couldn’t remember any other moment where he had such a pleasant moment. The feeling of wholeness he was feeling right now put a faint smile on his deliciously relaxed features in the secret of his empty living room. Victor enjoyed this inner peace as he slowly sipped his drink. The glass emptied, he put it back on the tray, just like the day before and walked to the bathroom. Any traces of yesterday’s mess also had been cautiously erased by the house keeping team and Alienore’s nightgown, washed and neatly folded, was place on the vanity. Victor furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the night garment. With disdain, he simply threw it away. Having Alienore wearing these rags again wasn’t even close to be an option. Anything coming from “them” was only good for the trash bin. Moving slowly because of the delicious feeling of weariness in his body, the man took off his clothes and entered the shower. The boiling hot water ran down his back and muscles for a while before he started to wash himself up. For the first time in years, he was enjoying the moment instead of being overwhelmed by the past or throwing himself into the future, with the help of endless lists of things to do for the next day, in order to run away from the previous options. 

…

Victor had only been out of the shower for a few minutes, drying his hair with a towel, peacefully lost in his thoughts when Alienore started screaming. If he froze for a split second, he quickly remembered the events of the previous nights and started to breath again. The girl was probably no where near to be in danger. She was probably having another nightmare. He quickly got rid of the towel around his waist and put on his pants as he walked towards the guest room, the towel he dried his hair with remaining on his shoulders. Just like the night before, he opened the door on a silver white haired girl, fiercely fighting against some invisible force while she screamed and cried at the top of her lungs. Victor hastily got closer… and received a strong kick on his side. It stopped him right in his tracks. He bent forward, breathless. After a few second only, he resumed his progression towards the bed with a hand placed on his ribs, slowed down by the pain. He climbed up the bed cautiously, avoiding any other blow thrown his way. As he did last night, Victor locked the girl in his arms, holding her tightly against him as he waited for her to calm down. 

\- Alienore… Alienore, he whispered softly. Everything’s alright.

Slowly but surely, the girl stopped fighting his embrace, even if she was still sobbing. Victor kept lulling her back to peace, gently stroking her hair sometimes, until the tears stopped rolling down her pretty cheekbones. Alienore looked up at him, her wet big blue eyes stealing his breath away once again. Fear was slowly disappearing from her gaze, but is seemed that it was quickly replaced by some kind of guilt as the girl realized she probably woke Victor up, again. Her face was so expressive that Victor immediately got what the hint of sadness in the depth of the two lagoons she has for eyes meant, even if she remained as silent as she’d always been since the night she came back. 

\- It’s nothing, he said. I wasn’t in bed yet.

His own face, slightly tensed, must've betrayed him since Alienore got away from him, startled, her small and tired eyes suddenly turned into a wide opened and anxious stare. With the tip of her fingers, Alienore ran her hand down his bare chest and was immediately drawn, even if she moved slowly, to his bruised ribs. His skin hasn’t started to turn into this purplish blue yet, but it would. As the girl soft touch reached the spot where he was hit earlier, Victor shivered, pressing his lips together under the slight pain he felt as Alienore flinched, immediately looking into his eyes. This time, the guilt on her face was loud and clear. Just like it allowed her to find him, her evol helped her to locate his pain, but also to know what caused it. If his own evol gave him the power to control time, Victor never really knew anything about Alienore’s. All he knew was that she was always the first to undergo every scientist’s tests when they were kids and that she was always aware about things she shouldn’t have been. However, new tears appeared in the corned of her beautiful eyes. Sensitive as she was, she couldn’t bear the fact that she had hurt her best friend. 

\- Don’t be stupid, he scoffed. I won’t be feeling it anymore in half an hour.

Alienore sniffled loudly, trying to hold back her tears, hardly relieved by Victor’s words. One of them, however, managed to cross the thickness of her long silvery white lashes, tumbling down her porcelain cheek, flushed by her previous weeping. 

\- Stop crying now, the dark haired man said. Let’s go. We’ll get you one of your nightwear and go back to sleep.

The girl was still wearing his shirt and the “skirt” he improvised for her since she fell asleep before they got home. Victor stood up, bringing the girl up with him, as he tried to hide a muffled groan from her. A twinge in his ribs caused a sharp pain as he moved. The pretty lady obediently followed him to his room where he took the bag with the nightwear shop’s they visited earlier that day and placed it on his bed. 

\- Pick one and put it on. I’ll be in the hallway, said the tall man as he slowly walked out, closing the door behind him.

He then leaned against the wall, breathing out slowly and rubbing his bruised ribs. Of course he minimized the incident when he talked to Alienore. Why would he causes her any more sadness she was already feeling about this? It wouldn’t do any good. He would only feel some stiffness in the morning anyway, maybe a bruise in the worst case. Unpleasant, of course, but nothing that would keep him from his daily activities. The girl, the two bright topaz of her irises now back to a more sleepy state came back a few minutes later. She was now wearing a navy blue silk set. The top, with its thin straps and its matching pair of shortr was finely embellished with elegant lace patterns on the low neckline and bottom of the shirt, as well as the bottom of the shorts. A classy but decent choice overall, even though Alienore’s exquisitely long and tight bare legs would’ve aroused many. But Victor wasn’t this kind of man. He pointed at the guest room with the tip of his chin, prompting her to walk in front of him. She hesitated for a second at the door, but after she looked behind her and made sure Victor was following her, she quickly entered the room. When he caught up on her, she was already sitting in the middle of the bed. Alike the day before, the man placed a pillow between his back and the headboard for a bit more comfort. With a sigh, he leaned against it and invited Alienore to join him with a curt nod. She hurriedly snuggled up him, happy to be back into the warmth and safety of Victor’s embrace. She laid her head against his large shoulder with a sigh of relief. Her soft blue eyes were now serene and her chin rested against his collarbone while she was distractedly looking in the distance. Alienore had the tip of her fingers running across Victor’s bare skin again, from his neck down his chest, carefully avoiding the bruised area. His own hand wisely placed on the girl’s shoulder, Victor would shudder from time to time from the softness of her touch, even though he went into a fierce mental fight against these satin-like chills. After a moment, Victor cleared his throat, breaking the charm he was about fell for. 

\- You should try to sleep, he said in a hoarse low voice.

Alienore lifted her and smiled half-heartedly. She was obviously tired, but also lost in her pensive mood. She laid her head back against his shoulder and her fingers resumed their movements across his chest again. Conflicted between delight and uneasiness, Victor pressed his hand against the girl’s arm. He was tempted to ask her about what she went through throughout all these years, thinking maybe that’s where her nightmares were coming from, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t ready to know and obviously she wasn’t ready to tell him since she haven’t said a single word since her return. Instead, they stayed like this until Morpheus took them away. He didn’t know when Alienore fell asleep nor when he dozed off, but when he did, the girl was still resting against him, tightly locked in his arms. Peaceful. Safe.


	7. The peace

When the young man opened his eyes again, the sun wasn’t quite up yet. The room was still wrapped into a soothing darkness even if the sky was slowly slipping into a gentle bluish pink that often shows itself before the first light of dawn. Alienore was still sound asleep, tightly holding his arm against her chest. Victor sighed. Sloftly. Peacefully. He then stretched quietly, mking sure he would’nt wake up the girl next to him, before he ran a hand through his ebony hair, neglectfully placed by last night’s cours of events. Since he didn’t had the time to completely dry them before he went to sleep, his usual nicely combed hair weren’t a thing anymore and went in every directions, giving them this tousled look that made the man look a few years younger. Victor reached for his phone, placed on the night table next to the bed, and brought it at eye level out of habit. There’s some morning ritual that can’t be chased easily. After all, Alienore has only been with him for barely two days. 

His eyes narrowed, blinded by the brigth light of the screen, but he still made his way through the applications of the device, quickly acustoming himself to the luminosity. Victor first read the frantic e-mails different LFG’s employees sent him, even if «read » was quite a big word for the few seconds of consideration he gave each one of them. He made a quick scan through them since none of these mails adressed a real emergency, but he still reviewed the problems his team encountered. After a while, Victor piercing gaze left the screen and made its way onto the young woman whose so warm cheek rested against the bare skin of his shoulder. He stayed still for a moment, his eyes lingering on Alienore’s silky smooth silver hair, her thick but pale eyelashes, her voluptuous raspberry-red lips and her satin-like skin. The man went back to his phone and created a new text message intended to his assistant, the unlucky Goldman. 

«i won’t be coming to work again today. It’s Saturday so there’s no appointment scheduled, as it’s always the case on the week-end. Do better than you did yesterday. I don’t want to be disturbed under any circumstances. »

The chances were that Goldman wasn’t awake at so early in the morning. His day would start with a hint of panic. But Victor couldn’t care less. As long as the company stayed on track until he returned… Victor’s day, on the other end, was wonderfully starting. It was the second morning he was blessed by Alienore’s sweet and warm presence right next to him. It wasn’t really a surprise that he was forgetting about his work for a moment when such an angel was resting against him. 

The man then looked up the stock market prices, viewed the News and checked the planning of the upcoming week before he placed the phone back on the night table. Alienore whimpered a little, rolling slightly in his direction in order to buried her face into his neck. Victor settled himself comfortably , the girl resting against him. He pressed his chin against her forehead for a moment, Alienore’s sweet scent accompanying him into a few more hours of sleep. Why would he leave the bed if no one was waiting for him? Why would he abandon such a warm and comfortable cocoon, only because of his usual routine? The beautiful woman with her soft blue eyes entirely destroyed any notions of what a « routine » and « habits » could mean by reappearing suddenly. At peace, Victor gave himself up to this feeling of calmness and well-being that was growing into him. Away from the frantic rythm of the business world, away from the constant flow of files to go through, far from the insipid people surrounding him all the time, away from the hypocrites, away from the greedy ones… He didn’t realize it, but Victor stopped the flow of time, giving himself at least fourty-five more minutes of semi-darkness to enjoy this newly found peace of heaven, in the utmost secrecy. 


	8. Souvenir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanna give a special mention to Kiddun (aka JustKiddun on Ao3). Wihout her help, this chapter would've been way less interesting and a thousand times harder to write. She gave me a better comprehension of Kiro's character, unlocked my inspiration multiple times and ... listened to all my babbling about all this, which isn't always easy since sometimes words start pouring and I can't stop the flood until the whole container is empty xD
> 
> Thank you Kiddun, thank you a thousand times <3

The next few days went by peacefully, but they were also mentally tiring for the two young adults. Victor still hadn’t shown up to work, to his assistant’s greatest despair. These three days, the steel grey eyed man used them to teach as much things as possible to the young silver-white haired lady, not only to give her back her autonomy, but also to make her integration into this huge and mystifying world that existed outside the laboratories they once knew, easier. From the flushing and taps uses to the radio and television’s functions, without neglecting the alphabet and some basic writing skills, Victor tried to cover as much subjects as it was possible, event though there was way to many of them. Hopefully, Aliénore was engulfing informations like a sponge and learned most of her lessons incredibly fast. By the end of the third day, the girl was already able to write a few sentences, more or less understandable, but above it all, she was writing them in a pretty handwriting, light and refined, which impressed the man quite a bit. However, the blue eyed girl was still not saying anything and the few things she could write weren’t enough to communicate efficiently. Nevertheless, the two friends were able to understand each other, sometimes easily, sometimes not, often with just one look but also after many unsuccessful attempts.

Another subject that seemed particularly interesting to Alienore was cooking, to Victor’s delight. Of course, he would never say a word about it. Yet, on this fourth day after their expedition at the shopping mall, the tall dark haired man was planning to bring the girl to a special place, a location that meant a lot to him. That day, Alienore picked a three-quarter length sleeved shirt with navy blue stripes on the white cotton fabric that she tucked under a pretty flared skirt, of the same dark blue, which stopped right over her knees. She completed her outfit with a thin tawny leather belt.

It was not quite noon, when the CEO unlocked the back door or his restaurant, that he, with a hint of melancholy, named Souvenir. As he was going in first, Alienore poked her head through the door to take a quick look inside, just like a squirrel would do. Victor was hoping that the curiosity she had for the smallest things would never disappear. The girl, her shiny white hair elegantly braided behind her head by Victor’s hands in the morning for sanitary and safety reasons, finally entered the sparkly clean kitchen. She immediately started to walk around the room, recognizing most of the equipment she learned to use in the past few days. But here, even if the kitchen was just as modernly equipped as the house’s kitchen, it was also more, a lot more impressive. The cooking appliances were bigger and apparently stronger than a regular kitchen’s utilities. The owner put the grocery bag he was carrying on the worktop before picking up a black apron hanging from a hook on the wall, right next to the door. He put it on and tied it behind his back with the gestures of a man used to this activity. A second apron was left hanging on the hook. Victor took it and carefully passed the girl’s head through the loop. She stopped snooping around and glanced at him as he tied the apron behind her before she looked at what he just dressed her with. She looked back to the man, than to the apron one more time. Realizing they were both wearing the same thing over their clothes, Alienore chuckled happily, quite proud of it, before she went back to her surrounding’s inspection. She was passing by the two hinged doors leading to the dining room when a man went through them, startling the girl. Alienore let out a little squeak of terror as she ran to hide behind Victor, her hands tightly gripped to the back of his shirt. Few seconds went by and the half of the silvery white haired girl’s face reappeared, the other half hidden into her friend’s ribs, so she could take a look to the newcomer. It was a middle-aged man with ash-grey hair that may, or may not, have been as dark as Victor’s in the man’s youth. He was also wearing a pair of square-shaped glasses, both side linked to each other by a small gold chain, and a modest but elegant outfit. From Victor’s reaction to the man’s arrival, the girl guessed that they knew each other, which felt quite reassuring for her. She slid carefully under her friend’s protecting arm, keeping her face hidden into his chest and her hands clutched to his clothes.

\- Oh, forgive me Sir, said the man. I didn’t know you were bringing some help today, he added with a gentle smile, reassuring the silver haired girl a bit more.

\- Mister Mills, answered Victor. This is Alienore, a close friend of mine. Alienore, here’s Mr.Mills, he takes care of the clients when the restaurant is open.

Mr.Mills extended a friendly hand towards the girl.

\- I am pleased to meet you, Miss, he said.

Alienore was reluctant at first, but with the man’s warm smile and Victor’s silent encouragements, nodding discreetly, she precociously took a hold of Mr. Mills’ hand. He quickly but delicately shook her hand then looked back at his boss.

\- Our most regular customer just passed by to ask if we would be opening today. He’s waiting outside, he said.

Victor’s eyebrow arched into a sharp curve.

\- The same one as usual? Asked the steel grey eyed man.

\- The one and only.

\- Let him in, Victor said. First service will be ready in one hour, more or less. Alienore, you’re lending me a hand.

It was not quite a command, but not a question either. But the girl was used to it now. Feeling confident enough, she nodded vividly and helped Victor to empty the grocery bag as Mr. Mills left them to go back in the dining room.

Under the CEO’s direction, Alienore initiated the meal’s preparation with him. Victor’s restaurant had a peculiar functioning method. Just as peculiar as it’s owner psyche. At Souvenir, the customers weren’t picking items from a menu. This decision was up to the chief, Victor in this case. Today, the man had planned a simple three services meal: an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. For now, everything was still at the ingredients state, making it impossible for Alienore to guess what Victor had in mind. He still gently guided her through the different preparation steps, mainly leaving her in charge of the fruits and vegetables to be sliced, diced or peeled according to the recipes needs. The man had absolutely nothing to say about his apprentice technique. She was meticulously applying her mentor’s teachings and perfectly diced the pickles and tomatoes when he asked her. However, Victor was mostly taking care of everything else, under Alienore’s attentive and impressed gaze before she became bored and upset. Somewhere between the appetizer and the main course, the girl lost the interest she had into this activity that Victor was now handling by himself. Even if he was busy and focused on the cooking level of the foie gras, the man always kept an eye on his protege. He quickly noticed her boredom. He didn’t feel annoyed or disappointed. Aliénore still had some childish behaviour about a few matters, especially this one. If she stayed too long without being given something to do, she was quickly bored. Since he had no more cooking tasks for her, he would need to fin something else. The girl may have been talented, Victor’s need to protect her, or overprotect her, kept her away from any heating devices for the moment. It was already hard enough for him to let her handle a knife, even if he spent countless hours teaching her the right way to hold it, to use it and repeating every possible safety measures. Turned halfway in her direction, without letting go of what he was doing, he called for the girl that was distractedly wandering around the kitchen, without ever getting close to the oven, just as he taught her.

\- Alienore, go help Mr. Mills in the dining room, would you?

Alienore looked uneasy for a split second.

\- There’s only one customer today and Mir. Mills likes him. You’ll be fine.

Happy to be of any help to her friend and the pally old man she met earlier, the girl straightened her back and nodded with enthusiasm. Every time Alienore was showing such excitement, Victor was unable to keep the right corner of his lips down. He always ended with a faint smile in front of the girl’s willingness and her candid attitude. He would never admit it, but Alienore’s return made him feel better, a lot better. Actually, Mr.Mills wasn’t quite sure about what changed about his boss, besides the splendid young woman accompanying him, but the usually moody CEO seemed less gloomy to him, more human. It was so indistinguishable into the peculiar shades of his grey eyes that the old man wasn’t able to put words on it yet.

\- Then go get the empty plates and put them near the sink. See with Mr.Mills what he needs you to help with afterwards, Victor said before he completely went back to the main course’s preparation, that would soon be ready.

Alienore merrily scampered along the way to the door between the kitchen and the dining room. She stopped for a second, her hand on the cold metal plating, as she stood on the tip of her toes to look through the door’s window. Just as Victor said, there was only only one customer into the dining room otherwise empty, besides Mr. Mills presence of course. Only one table was dressed in the whole room and their customer, a young blond man, was sitting with his back to the door. Alienore was only able to see his golden locks, unbridled, and his slender but toned back, just like Victor’s, her only other reference in terms of men her age. The young man seemed shorter than her dark haired friend though. Actually, she herself was impressed by this tall Victor, towering over her now. He wasn’t the little boy she once knew anymore. Alienore took one deep breath and went through the door with determination.

She candidly walked towards the young man’s table, without breaking into a skip, and stopped by his side. The gaze that fell upon her was just as blue and bright as hers under his blond hair mischievously falling before them. Alienore’s 6th sens, that had nothing to do with her evol – or maybe it was? - tickled her mind as she looked into his eyes. Since her intuition was giving her a warm and friendly feeling, a feeling she found particularly pleasant, the silver haired girl gave him a beautiful smile, just as splendid and bright as her eternal cheerfulness. The boy looked at her with a hint of surprise but answered with a polite smile. Alienore quickly gathered the dishes and skilfully brought them back to the kitchen, her braid dancing on her back to the rhythm of her light and graceful pace.

As Victor told her, the girl put the plates next to the sink, giving the man a quick look that he promptly sent back her way. She then went back to the dining room, as enthusiast and perky as ever. She stood by Mr.Mills for a moment and held her arms behind her back. Alienore wasn’t talking at all, but she seemed to be the only oblivious one about the situation, the only one not understanding the strangeness of her condition. The old man was surprised to find the girl behind him, but he was as friendly as he was before and warmly smiled at her. In the end, Alienore kinda liked the man. Mr. Mills was hesitant for a moment, moment that felt like an eternity in front of the girl’s silence. What did she want? Was she needing something? A strange breeze, like a faint whisper only detectable by the man’s ears, told him he hadn’t hear any words coming from her since they met earlier, even when Victor introduced them. He wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t know without trying something.

\- Hello Alienore, he said warmly. The boss sent you to lend me a hand, i guess?

Alienore nodded with her usual energy, the ribbon at the bottom of her braid bouncing up and down in her back,

\- I see, the man smiled, some crow’s feet appearing at the corner of his eyes. He’s chasing you out of the kitchen too, right? Fine, why don’t you go ask our client if he’d like something to drink?

Innocently, Mr.Mills gave her a pen and a small notebook he was keeping in his shirt’s pocket. If the young woman was mute like he thought she was, he’d know soon enough now. Alienore smiled at him then unconsciously scampered along again on her way to the young man’s table. As soon as she stopped by his side, the girl started scribbling something on Mr.Mills’ notepad.

“ _Anything to drink?_ ” she wrote in her pretty round and lighter-than-air handwriting, perfectly aligned without any guidelines.

She turned the pocketbook around to show the message to the young man, now staring at her, his blue eyes sparkling with cheerfulness and curiosity.

\- Surprise me, answered the boy.

Alienore’s eyes opened widely, dumbfounded by the answer he gave her. She was at lost in front of such an uncommon reply. The blond man seemed to realize she was unsure about what she needed to do, and gave her clearer indications, without giving up on his playful expression.

\- Surprise me and bring what you think I’d like, he added with a cheeky wink.

Alienore nodded, a bit shocked, but went back to the kitchen anyway. Victor was just as busy and focused as he was when she left. Actually, he was so deeply immersed in his own mind as he was putting the finishing touch to the main course, that he didn’t notice the white haired girl standing by the door for a moment. That was quite unusual for him. Since he was so absorbed by his work, Alienore decided not to bother him and walked towards the drinks refrigerator and brought her index knuckle to her lips as she was thinking about what the boy asked her. She had the habit to bite softly on her knuckle when she was in such a thoughtful state of mind. She thought it was quite weird that their client asked her, a pure stranger, to pick a drink for him. However, strangeness was highly relative for her, since everything was and wasn't strange at the same time in her mind. After a minute of deep reflection, she picked a sparkling water bottle from the refrigerator and poured it into a glass. She was ready to go back in the dining room when Victor, suddenly by her side, stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

\- Wait, he simply said.

The man turned around swiftly, rapidly sliced a quarter of lemon he then added to the glass before going back to his cooking.

\- You can go.

Alienore stood still for a moment, looking at her childhood friend. Sometimes, the way he had to speak only with short sentences like this was quite perturbing for her. But right now, he was leaning over a pan, his steel grey eyes fixated on the braised seafood in it and his profile was, as always, elegant and breathtaking. His jaw, with is teeth lightly clenched, was delightfully detaching itself from his neck and large shoulders. The girl always thought, in some way, a pretty innocent way, that the man, and the young boy from before, were pretty attractive. And it could not be more true than it was today. Absorbed by what he was doing, Alienore was not only given the opportunity to detailed his fine features, but she was also giving herself up to the warmth she felt every time she stopped to look at the ebony black haired man in his daily routine. Her life was so different now that it wasn’t directed by the firm hands of the scientists. This new life was so peaceful and sweet to her... and Victor’s presence was the cherry on top. Realizing she was still holding the glass in her hands, now frozen by the liquid’s chilliness, the pretty silvery-white haired girl hurried in the dining room. She carefully placed the glass on the table near the blond boy with a timid smile, before she ran back into the kitchen. She dared not to stay and witness the boy’s reaction, even more if it was to be negative.

She was in such a hurry she didn’t even think of what could be on the other side of the doors. She bumped into a strong and toned chest before she almost fell to the ground. If it wasn’t from the two powerful arms that wrapped her in their warmth and put her back on her feet, the girl would’ve ended up on her knees.

\- Dummy! Watch out, said a warm and soft voice, with only a hint of firmness.

It was obviously Victor. He didn’t let go of her right away, his arms tightly locked around her waist. Alienore carefully avoided his gaze and had the man frowning at her. He reached for her chin and gently lifted her face, locking eyes with her. For the first time, probably because she was already quite agitated, Alienore was hit by the depth of Victor’s piercing eyes. Its grey was holding so many shades that it was almost impossible to figure out the real emotions it was hiding. The pretty girl was now looking like doe blinded by a car’s lights. Her heart rate, already high enough, accelerated as she felt the ink black haired man calm and steady breath on her cheeks. Victor ‘s voice ended up taking her out of her numbness.

\- What’s wrong? He asked, his brows furrowing even more.

Alienore shook her head vividly, suddenly grabbing a hold of herself. This time, the man seemed quite surprised. The girl’s behaviour was strange enough that Victor leaned on the side to look through the door’s window, searching for the cause of her trouble. Nothing seemed off or out of place. Victor’s hand, firmly holding Alienore’s waist until now, ran up her back to her shoulder. He looked into the two bright topazes she had for eyes a bit longer and freed her, pushing a plate her way on the stainless-steel counter top.

\- Alright, then bring this to our customer, he said sharply as he walked away.

Victor’s tone seemed off to Alienore, a bit irritated. Uncertain about the cause of this irritation, she preferred to take the plate and leave the kitchen, following the man’s order immediately. She went straight for the blond boy’s table, so focused on her objective, that she didn’t notice, seating at the farthest table into the corner of the room, a newcomer Mr.Mills was greeting, She delicately placed the plate in front of its owner. But instead of showing any interest about it, the boy, an elbow resting on the edge of the table and turned halfway towards her, his chin placed in his hand, only looked at her, his eyes shinning with a spark of playfulness.

\- Sooooooo, he said. Tell me! Why did you picked sparkling water?

Alienore’s face turned red from her cheeks to the tips of her ears as she wrote down her answer.

“ _Nobody really dislikes water._ ”

The blond man giggled, his face lighten up by a bright and contagious smile.

\- True, he said, his entertainment being reflected in his voice. What’s your name? I’m Kiro!

“ _Alienore_ ” wrote the silvery withe haired girl.

\- Nice to meet you, Alienore!

The girl smiled happily, expressing her own enjoyment, quite at ease now.

\- Why are writing down all your answers? Asked Kiro, a hint of guiltless curiosity on his face. You can’t talk at all?

Alienore’s face suddenly froze and her smile disappeared just as fast. Even if her eyes weren’t holding any tears, it was obvious that this was a painful matter for the girl. The blue of her eyes darkened and she lowered her head. She stood still for a moment, her pen and her notebook up, ready to write her answer even though she was blankly staring in front of her. She was remembering the endless conversations she had with a younger Victor back then. Their muffled chuckles often reverberated on the cold walls of the small and dark room they shared with the other kids, even in their darkest moments. She came back to herself and wrote down her answer, the pen gliding with less enthusiasm than it did before.

“ _I_ _used_ _to... then i_ _woke up_ _f_ _rom_ _very long_ _sleep_ _and I can’t talk anymore._ ”

Her grammar skills weren’t exactly on point since Victor wasn’t quite done teaching her, and her speech was quite basic for a girl her age, but the meaning was as clear as it could be. She dearly missed being able to express herself easily and sharing her thoughts with her loved ones. The blond boy in font of her noticed her sorrowful gaze and kept his astonished eyes on her until she showed him her answer. A saddened veil quickly ran across his own face for a split second. He never intended to hurt the pretty silver haired girl’s feelings. The question just slipped through his lips, like it was often the case. However, he recovered almost instantly his naughty and playful expression.

\- Hey, wanna know a secret about this place? He said, almost whispering as he leaned slightly towards her.

Alienore tilted her head on the side, getting her intrigued puppy look back. Her curiosity was still insatiable. She leaned towards Kiro, influenced by the mysterious atmosphere he settled up.

\- You need to promise me that you won’t tell anyone, he said seriously. Top secret!

Alienore slowly nodded, captivated, which seemed to satisfy Kiro enough.

\- Alright... The pudding they’re serving in this restaurant.... Is the best pudding ever! I'm the chief’s #1 fan.

Kiro accompanied his big revelation with a mischievous wink, as the white haired girl stood still for a split second. What a secret! Of course, Alienore had no doubt it was true. Everything Victor cooked for her was absolutely delightful. But to make such a scene about it... Realizing how funny the situation was, Alienore chuckled softly, her splendid smile back on her face. She then nodded vividly, confident into the steel grey eyed man’s talent. Furthermore, she would definitely ask Victor to prepare a pudding for her next time he’d inquire about what she wanted to eat.


	9. The phone number

In the farthest corner of the kitchen, Victor was looking intensely at small TV screen that was showing, in shades of black and white, what was happening in the dining room. The angle of the camera was giving an almost perfect view of the area, excepted for one corner. He wasn’t really happy about the interest Alienore showed about Kiro, but he was even less happy that, whatever was the nature of that interest, it was obviously mutual, unlike the super star’s habits. However, it was the least of his concerns at the moment. The ebony black haired man was actually irked about that mysterious man’s presence. The unfamiliar man seemed to be aware of the camera and carefully avoided to show his face since he came in. Also, he specifically picked that table and its chair that was out of the camera’s sight. All Victor had seen from the man was the back of his trench coat and its assorted hat, his tailor-made clothes and his overpriced leather shoes. He wasn’t like any of Souvenir’s clients. Victor was highly suspicious, even more now that Alienore was back. Victor couldn’t prevent himself from being on the watch and fearing possible reprisals from the individuals controlling these damned laboratories where they grew up. The steel gray eyed man was actually surprised they didn’t already tried something. It was absolutely impossible that these people, in their high positions and with their numerous resources, didn’t already tracked down the pretty snow-white haired girl or that they weren’t aware of his house’s location. The strange man only seemed more suspicious to him. Victor needed to make sure Alienore wouldn’t go anywhere close to him… and he would push that table in plain sight himself as soon as that man would be gone if he needed to. As long as the sinister organization would be active, the dark haired man would keep a close watch. The crease that slowly started, over the past few years, to appear above his left brow when he was irritated clearly visible now, he sent a text message to Mr. Mills. “ _Send Alienore back to the kitchen_.”

The young woman was “talking” casually with her new friend, scribbling down her answers faster and faster in her small notebook. Her neat and elegant handwriting was often showing a hint of eagerness. Mr. Mills drew her attention to him.

\- Miss, the boss wants to see you in the kitchen, he said.

Obviously, Alienore didn’t hesitate a single second and nodded cheerfully before she smiled one last time, as bright as ever, to the young man. Kiro had barely touched his meal since he was so absorbed in their conversation. She then walked towards the kitchen, as Victor asked. He was waiting for her, adding the finishing touch to the dessert. He lifted his eyes and met Alienore’s gaze. She immediately knew that something was wrong. Victor’s steel gray eyes were so hard and cold that she could’ve failed to recognize him. The man had never laid such a ruthless gaze on her. If Alienore was sometimes confused in front of Victor’s neutrality, it had nothing to do with this feeling of uneasiness she was feeling as she looked at the bitter gleam that invaded the metallic shades of her friend’s irises since she last came to the kitchen. The girl with the long silver hair froze in the door way, the door leaf closing behind her before she took another step forward. This time, unlike that incident in front of the shopping mall’s fountain, she wasn’t afraid of her friend’s ice-cold expression. The girl was actually surprised and confused by that sudden change in Victor’s mood, but she was also really preoccupied. What was wrong with him? Was he hurt? Did he received bad news? However she wasn’t feeling any pain from him… Alienore didn’t get the time to think any further about that matter that the tall black haired man was sliding the plate, ready to be served, from his end of the counter-top to hers. The young and beautiful woman caught it before it reached the edge and started falling off, but she put it back on the work station, without taking her amazing blue eyes off him. She perfectly understood that she had to bring that plate to the friendly young man that was waiting for her on the other side of the doors, but Victor’s attitude was worrying her way to much for her to leave the kitchen now. Her 6th sense was tingling again as she was sensing a deep state of agitation from the man in front of her. Alienore slowly walked through the space between them, as if she was trying not to rush him, without ever averting her gaze, staring right back into Victor’s eyes despite their disturbing coldness. The girl was undoubtedly showing some unfaltering nerve and determination, completely opposed to the reaction she had that day, at the shopping mall. When she got up to him, Alienore brought her small hands to her friend’s strong and muscled arms and her long, slender fingers gripped the folds of his rolled sleeves. She locked her soft ethereal gaze, filled with even more tenderness than it was usually bearing, to Victor’s impassible eyes. He was looking back at her unflinchingly. The concern he was reading into the depth of her irises had the man shuddering on the inside even though he irremediably remained stone-faced. She was worried about him. Not like when he found her next to that fountain. No. This time, she was the one concerned about his well-being. She was incredibly calm, even though her lovely mindful face had more chances to soften him up rather than reassuring him. Victor sighed heavily and closed his eyes a few seconds. When he opened them, his face was just as cold, but the glint in his gaze had warmed up. His metallic lavender eyes stared back into hers.

\- Serve Kiro and Kiro only, he said, cautiously detaching each words.

Alienore instantly understood that this command was not subject to review and nodded slowly. Victor already seemed a bit more at peace, even if the girl was still feeling a great tension emanating from him. She would’ve liked to do more, way more, but it was the best she could do since her friend locked himself up somewhere in the depths of his mind where he was completely out of reach, even for her. The beautiful young woman then pressed herself against his chest, circling his waist with her tiny arms. She tightly hugged him, using a fraction of her evol to send him all her fellow feelings and the silent encouragements she had for him, whatever was the situation he was dealing with. She let him go and gave him another one of her brightest smiles. “ _If smiles were producing light,_ he thought _, Alienore’s would outshine the sun forever_.” Sending this sentimental thought away with a small sigh, way lighter than the previous one, he let the girl with the moon-shaded hair go away, Kiro’s dessert in hands, as he went back to the corner where the surveillance screens were. He would do the dishes only when that shady character would be gone. While he was waiting, in the absence of any clear views of the man, he was distinctly seeing the beautiful woman that was talking merrily, in her ways, with the well-known Kiro.

Alienore ended up sitting on one of the chairs around the blond man’s table when he invited her to do so. He was now done with his dessert and was detailing all the delicious meals he was served in this restaurant. The girl’s eyes were sparkling with wonder as she was imagining all the delicious smells and flavors they could have, hoping to taste them someday. Neither her or Kiro noticed the man hidden in a corner as neither of them realized he was gone. He only left a cup of coffee behind him, only item he asked for and consumed. Victor would probably have denied him a meal if he’d asked for it anyway. Kiro was now singing the praises of a treat called “cotton candy” when a short series of beeps, coming from his pocket, interrupted them. The young man, surprise showing on his face, took the phone out of his jean’s pocket. Alienore was captivated and puzzled by his facial expressions. He was so demonstrative! She could almost feel the interrogation in his eyes as he looked at the text message he just received. Suddenly, the super star’s (celebrity Alienore was completely unaware of) metamorphosed again and a new expression, half panicked, showed on his face.

\- Oh! No, eh… I’ll have to go! My manager is waiting for me, just outside the door, he said in a hurry, extending a hand towards the girl.

Since she experienced the gesture with Mr. Mills earlier in the afternoon. Alienore was now aware of what was expected from her. She placed her delicate hand into Kiro’s and smiled at him, her enjoyment manifesting itself in a cheerful giggle.

\- I’m glad I got to met you, Alienore! You know, you’re pretty cool. I’d like to have a friend like you.

Alienore’s smile widened. It was obvious that she was appreciating Kiro’s speech. She never really had friends besides Victor and a few other kids, lost long ago, that were also prisoners in the many laboratories where they lived over the years. Either they were helping each other or dying in a cold and dark corner of these uncomfortable rooms they were locked in. Victor was the only one she really choose to be friend with, just as the opposite was also true. The idea to have a new friend, the first in her “normal young woman’s” life was highly exciting for her. Alienore was almost floating above the ground. She nodded energetically, a new jolly chuckle accompanying her silent answer before Kiro continued:

\- Maybe when we both aren’t busy we can hang out? He said, smiling too. What’s your number?

In a split second, the girl’s smile was gone. It was replaced by a confused and disarrayed expression. Alienore had absolutely no idea about what a phone number was. Of course, she saw Victor and Kiro using their phones and she was able to recognize the object, but was absolutely clueless about their functions. The only thing she used on Victor’s mobile was the keyboard when he showed her the alphabet. However, the poor business man got to explain, for at least fifteen minutes, why the letters weren’t placed in alphabetical order on the device.

\- You don’t know your phone number? Kiro asked, as confused as the girl now. You have a phone, right?

Alienore signed him to wait for her and then ran towards the kitchen. The tall steel gray eyed man was still there, in Mr. Mills company who, since the girl was now taking good care of their only client, was helping his boss with the dishes. Hearing the doors opening violently, Victor turned around, his natural neutrality back on his face since the man with the hat left.

\- What? He said, raising a brow as Alienore was running to him.

The girl and her big blue eyes, now even more alike topaz as they were shining with excitement, started to write her question before she even reached him.

“ _I have a friend! He ask for my phone number?_ ”

Victor took the note, furrowing his brows, not particularly happy about this situation.

\- You don’t have a phone, he answered, emotionless, hoping it would end all of it.

Alienore started to write again, as fast as she could, knitting hew brows too, giving her pretty face an annoyed expression Victor hadn’t seen in ages.

“ _But I need a phone number!_ ”

\- No.

The business man’s answer had fallen. Sharp and cold like a guillotine’s blade. The young woman yelped, surprised, then whined for a few seconds as her shoulders fell down and her face turned into a hopeless pout. Her pen sadly glided on the paper.

“ _But I got a new friend..._ ”

Victor stared at her for a moment. As the days were passing by, Alienore’s personality was resurfacing. Of course, it was a good thing and the dark haired man was feeling a great relief as she was coming back to her own self. However, he wasn’t quite sure that the young woman was ready to mingle with others, no matter how friendly the “others” were. Or maybe he was the one not being ready? Maybe he didn’t want to share his precious friend, at least, not yet? Despite all this, Alienore’s miserable face took its toll on him, way more than it should’ve. She seemed completely devastated… And knowing he was the cause of her sorrow gave him a discreet impression of nausea, even more since the solution to it was so simple. Furthermore, Kiro was a really popular and sought-after celebrity, on top of his friendly demeanor. If Victor was lucky, the super star’s schedule wouldn’t allow him to seek after Alienore and he’d end up forgetting about it. And in the worst case scenario… the pretty white haired girl would have a friend just as high-spirited as she was, which could eventually be a good thing. Victor let his metallic gaze run on Alienore’s face and a heavy sigh parted his lips. He closed his eyes, his index finger and his thumb pinching the bridge of his nose under Mr. Mills curious eyes. The old man was staying out of their discussion, but he had been listening from the very beginning, quite surprised by his boss unusual behavior. When Victor’s hand came down, he slowly opened his eyes and delicately took the pen and notebook out of Alienore’s hands. He then wrote down his own phone number on a brand new page.

\- Don’t be too optimistic, he said, ready to go back to the activities Alienore previously interrupted. He might not call.

Perhaps that, somewhere deep inside himself, he hoped to dishearten her, but he mostly wished to warn her about this possibility. Naive and emotional, she would be devastated if it was to happen. Alienore lifted her big, incredulous, blue eyes on him when he gave her the notebook back, unsure she heard him right. She wasn’t used to see Victor coming back on his decisions. She understood really fast after she came back to him that, when he’d made his opinion on something, it was unalterable. Fortunately, for him mostly, the beautiful young woman wasn’t aware that she was the only sufficient motivation to change his mind. The joy she felt when she discovered the series of numbers on the paper was only exacerbated. Alienore had still no idea about their signification, but she didn’t needed it for the moment. She jumped up and down, just like a child, and threw her arms around her friend’s neck, her crystal-clear laughter filling up the room. Victor had heard her chuckles and giggles many times since she was back when she was expressing her contentment, but he’d never heard anything as bright and clear as it was now. He immediately knew he made the right decision. The hint of a smile appeared on his face, tickling the corner of his lips, as he received the small silvery-white canon-ball in his arms. He cringed for a split second then soften up right away. Alienore hugged him with all her might and planted a kiss, as light as a butterfly’s wings, on his cheek before she ran away just like she came in. She left a pondering Victor and an amused Mr. Mills behind her.

Back in the dining room, the girl ran up to Kiro, handing him the note Victor wrote. The golden haired young man received it with a smile just as bright as the girl’s was and playfully winked at her while he was putting the note in his pocket.

\- See you soon, Ali! He said.

He then quickly ran through the door, under Alienore’s glistening eyes.


	10. The temptation

After Kiro’s departure, Alienore quickly made a complete turn on herself, just like a ballerina, lighter-than-air and graceful, her braid nicely floating around her. Happiness, excitement for the days to come and well-being were brand new feelings for her and it was often causing these small manifestations, lively and indiscreet, of her emotions. All perked up and smiling, the girl gathered what was left of the dishes and looked around the dining room one last time to make sure everything was clean and ordered. Another habit Alienore had quickly adopted was to promptly take care of any chores that had to be done. Even if Victor didn’t really need to take care of the house maintenance by himself, he was always putting everything back in place and cleaning what would be left behind right away. The silvery-white haired girl had quickly started to copy his behaviour. Alienore was not only interested and amazed by the slightest flap of a butterfly wing, but she also wanted to learn. Learn everything she could. From the very moment she scribbled down her first words a few days earlier, the damsel and her cerulean irises hadn’t stopped to assail her friend, and only landmark, with a large number of questions. Back in the kitchen, dishes in hands, Alienore noticed Mr. Mills was missing after she took a few steps in. Victor, who was drying his hands with a clean cloth, knew right away, with the funny face the girl made, that she was looking for the old man.

\- Mr. Mills just left. His help wasn’t required anymore, said the business man.

Alienore nodded and walked the few meters left to the sink where she started to clean the dishes she just brought in, since they were the only items left to be washed. As she was taking care of this, Victor left the kitchen a few seconds in order to lock the front, door before he came back to put away the clean utensils that weren’t already back to their original place. Even if he was busy, the steel grey eyed titan was taking a look at the girl from time to time. She’d been pretty impressive today. Thrown into the deep end of human interactions slightly more elaborated than the salesperson-client relationship she experienced at the shopping mall, she did amazingly well, just like if that nightmare they shared in the past was nothing but fabrications of a sick mind. She even managed to get a friend out of it. Victor was quite proud of her when he picked up one of the knives in front of him, one of those sharp blades you could only find in the finest kitchens. Noticing dried water spots on the knife, he started to wipe them off. His gaze immediately went back to Alienore, a soft, tender hint of lavender in the grey of his irises. His stare lingered on her a few seconds... until an acute and painful sensation suddenly brought him back to what he was doing. Distracted by Alienore’s sight, the man made a single wrong move and the blade traced a path from on end of his palm to the other. The cut wasn’t deep enough to really be worrisome, but it was deep enough to bleed considerably.

\- Shit.

Victor stared calmly at his hand for a few seconds before he cursed out loud, with his deep and neutral tone that wasn’t quite feeling right at the moment. The blood slowly spread through the folds and creases of his hand until it went down his forearm, but he was standing still. Alienore had turned around to the sound of his voice, surprised, since curse words and vulgarities weren’t a part of Victor’s vocabulary. Her already worried angel-like face broke down when she saw the injury on her friend’s hand. Stunned by his own stupidity and mad at himself, the titan was still looking at his hand, the blood now dripping from his elbow. The pretty snow-white haired girl ran to him, wrapped his hand in a clean piece of cloth and applied a light, but sufficient, pressure on the wound. Her ethereal gaze was focused on the steel of her Victor’s irises, exceptionally serene. They looked at each other for a long time, their conversation occurring in an oppressive silence, until Alienore averted her gaze to look for a first aid kit, without letting go of the man’s hand for the moment. She quickly, but attentively looked around. When she finally found what she was looking for, Alienore locked eyes with her dark haired friend one last time as she placed his free hand where hers had previously been and turned around to pick up the white box marked with a bright red cross. She quickly brought it back where Victor was standing, placing the big plastic container on the counter top right next to him. The girl soft, aerial blue eyes went through the material inside the box faster than it should’ve before she got out what she’d need to clean and dress the wound, along with a pair of these latex gloves any good first aid kit should contain. The girl was perfectly focused and her face, naive and innocent, her usual curious and jovial expression had been replaced with an accomplished, confident and determined woman look. Victor was looking at her, with a high-raised eyebrow, the only sign of astonishment on his stone-cold face. He never taught her anything about first aid. He didn’t even talked about it with her. The logical answer to his questions was that she acquired these competences back when she was a lab rat, and given the natural with which she was performing now, she had several opportunities to practice. The gloves on, Alienore quickly treated, examined and dressed the injury. A certified nurse wouldn't have done any better. Victor kept staring at at her face, absorbed by the girl’s expression. In a split second, she suddenly seemed older, just like if she’d never been confined in her childish ingenuousness. Satisfied with her work, the long silver haired woman threw away the gloves and promptly came back to Victor. He did not beat around the bush.

\- You learned that there? He said, always in a neutral tone.

The man didn’t need to precise what he intended by “there” for Alienore to understand. She nodded slowly, just as serious as she had been in the previous minutes, her gaze showing a rare spark of capability Victor never suspected until now. Unlike the previous obstacles she faced, there wasn't a single trace of anguish in her splendid topaz-like irises. In turn, she pointed at Victor’s hand with her chin. He didn’t need her to push her silent question any further. He looked away, Alienore at the very limit of his sight, and seemed to be lost in his thoughts for a moment.

\- My hand slipped, he simply said.

The girl in front of him didn’t appeared to be worried about him anymore, but she was not blindly believing him either. Her brows furrowed as she was staring at him. Chasing a fictive fly with his sane hand, demonstrating he was moving on to something else, Victor walked towards the end of the kitchen.

\- Follow me, he told her without any more explanations.

Alienore quickly walked behind him, her usual curiosity coming back at light-speed and giving back this naive and angel-like look to her face. She followed him in a remote corner of the kitchen, hidden by a few shelves... where Victor had been keeping their meals warm. Everything the pretty girl brought to Kiro that day, and dreamed she could taste, her friend kept a serving for them, a serving they could eat together when the service would be over. Alienore joined her hands in front of her mouth, her eyes sparkling with impatience and happiness. A new burst of high pitched laughter filled the room as she was throwing herself into the tall man’s arms once more. She wouldn’t stay there more than a split second this time and walked away almost instantly and jumped up and down, eager to taste all the dishes she had in front of her. Victor sighed heavily, despite the smile on his face.

\- Help me to carry all of this to the dining room, he said as he picked up a few plates.

Alienore gathered what was left and followed him, happily scampering along. It was now pretty obvious that the beautiful silver-white haired girl was developing a strong passion for food. As they were getting ready to have their diner, Victor lost himself into her pretty face again, the sting in his palm remembering him of the new side of her he discovered a bit earlier. Alienore was stunning and the steel grey eyed man couldn’t help but wonder what kind of woman she would become with a bit more time. Someone incredible, without a doubt...

Their meal was succulent. From the shells and tomatoes in a homemade cucumber jelly as an appetizer, to the surprise Victor prepared for the dessert, without forgetting the delicious “ _Saint-Jacques Rossini_ ” they had as a main course, Alienore tasted everything and savoured every bite she had this time. The tall, dark haired man peacefully ate his own meal, his ears filled with Alienore’s happy giggles and chuckles. He had that faint feeling of happiness, well hidden under the severity of his features, as they were soothing his mind. This, was what Alienore deserved, now and every day that would come. After everything they endured together, and what she went through all by herself, the young woman was deserving to taste every delicious dish she wanted and if she felt like laughing at every bite she was taking, so be it. She was deserving to feel safe and enjoy a life she’d forever been kept from. When Victor finally came back into the present moment, Alienore was done and looking at him with gratefulness, her hands joined on her thighs and a beautiful smile on her face. He calmly finished his own meal, there was only a few bites left anyway, and picked up the empty plates.

\- Stay here.

Since the day Alienore disappeared in the shopping mall despite his directives, Victor didn’t need to fear she wouldn’t be listening to his commands anymore. If he was telling her to go somewhere and wait for him, she would go and stay there. This lesson made things a bit easier for the business man since he didn’t have to spy on her every moves. He went to the kitchen and left the plates by the sink. With that cut on his hand, he would need his friend’s help to take care of them. As the day went by, while Alienore was spending some time with Kiro in the dining room, Victor prepared something special for the pretty and sweet girl he couldn’t get off his mind. He thought of it as soon as Mr. Mills told him that the blond boy was waiting by the front door. One of Kiro’s all times favourite recipe was a dessert Victor would be preparing pretty often when he was opening Souvenir, but it wasn’t on today’s menu. Since he noticed the young woman with the long and aerial white hair was quite a sweet-tooth, he prepared one just for her, convinced she would like it. After he took the pudding out of the refrigerator, the titan slightly pushed the door between the rooms.

\- Close your eyes, he said, choosing to keep the pleasure going a few more seconds.

Victor quietly walked towards their table and delicately placed the dessert in front of the girl. He even took the time to sit back on his own chair.

\- You can open your eyes now, he said in a low tone, where all his smooth and suave intonations were hiding.

Alienore obeyed right away and found the small hill, and its milky coloration, in front of her. She examined it from every angles, excited, pleased and intrigued by the dessert’s look. Once her visual inspection was over, the pretty young woman picked up her pen and wrote a few words down in the notepad, opened right next to her. That’s how they’d been communicating through the whole evening. To Victor’s great surprise, her handwriting, already quite enjoyable, and her grammar skills where improving hour by hour.

“ _What is it?_ ”

\- A pudding, answered the man with the steel grey eyes, which were unusually showing warm and loving shades of lavender.

A bright light shone through Alienore ethereal gaze.

“ _A pudding?”_

\- Yes.

The girl hurriedly put her pen down and grabbed her spoon. She wriggled and twirled for moment and pushed the little tartlet with the tip of the utensil, staring at its milky and gelatinous body, before she finally cut through it and got a small bite in her spoon, just like every first bite she was taking from a new dish. She brought the spoon to her lips and delicately let the small piece of pudding slide into her mouth. A few seconds went by without the girl showing any reactions besides a bright interest, a deep concentration on her face. Then, the light in her eyes flickered, like a signal that the analysis was over and, just like every time something was making her happy, small bursts of high-pitched laughter filled the room. With every new bite, the happy chuckles were coming back and Victor noticed how Alienore was trying her best to slow down, in order to enjoy the sweet pudding and its delicate string of caramel a bit longer. When she put down her spoon, there was not a single trace left of the dessert and Alienore was obviously floating above the ground. Her eyes shinning brightly and her cheeks tinted with a delightful shade of pink, she picked up her pen again.

“ _It’s delicious! Can i have more?_ ”

Victor chuckled softly, slowly shaking his head, a faint smile on his lips, the girl’s contentment giving him a strong feeling of satisfaction. Alienore was a ray of sunshine that was always succeeding to warm is heart up despite the kilometres of ice he built all around it. In fact, as they were spending more and more time together, the man felt like it it was becoming easier for the beautiful young woman to reach every folds and creases in his heart, just like if he never became that stern and dark man, like if he never locked his feelings deep down inside.

\- There will be more next time, he answered, almost smiling.

Once they got back home, the routine that was quickly taking place came back running for the two young adults. Victor peacefully sipping his Brandy in the living room, Alienore disappearing into the shower... This impression, an impression of normality, was slowly anchoring itself in their subconscious, for the impenetrable man just as for the luminous young woman. This feeling was somehow reassuring for the two friends. Since he had a few glasses of wine, at least four,over their dinner, added to that third glass of Brandy he was holding, Victor was starting to feel the effects of his alcohol consumption. Of course, with Alienore in his life now, he’d been more than reasonable and he strictly proscribed any alcoholic beverage for the girl. Even with these precautions, Victor reached the limit of his tolerance, limit he knew well enough and rarely exceeded. That night, he simply felt light headed, his mind being parasitized by a discreet tingling, and was way more relaxed than he would’ve been in other circumstances.

After a moment, a long moment, Alienore met the steel grey eyed man in the living room, and sat on the couch next to him. She had quickly integrated the shower routine and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the activity, since she was always spending a lot of time under the water. That night, she was wearing a pretty and fine satin nightie of a pleasant powder pink coloration. The neck and the hem were decorated with a thick line of black lace, and so was the robe she draped her shoulders with. The set reached the middle of her thigh, showing her long and slender legs once more. Victor didn't bat an eye though. It had almost been a week since he found Alienore in his driveway, under a freezing rain and only wearing a thin nightgown. It was a miracle she didn’t die from a pneumonia after wandering into this cold night in the beginning of the winter. Since that day, all the pyjamas Alienore picked were always giving him a good look at the satin-like skin of her legs. What first took him by surprise was now a normal thing.

The girl was drying her long silver like hair with a towel. The process was always taking a lot of time and was a bit fastidious, since her hair went all the way down to her hips. However, she was obstinately refusing to use a hairdryer. Maybe it was the noise, or maybe the heat the device was producing, but after her first try, she never used it again, whatever what Victor would say. The man just kept reading his mails on his tablet as the girl cautiously dried her hair. As the days went by, the mails were incessantly coming in, always in greater number, telling the business man he would need to take back his responsibilities towards his company. But he had responsibilities here too! And they were manifesting themselves as a beautiful white haired girl with amazing blue eyes, The latter was now done with the towel and had placed it, nicely folded, further on the coffee table. She got closer to her friend, their shoulders slightly touching, and the sweet scent of the girl soon wrapped him into a suave embrace. As always when she wanted something, Alienore was starring at him, her big blue eyes looking exaggeratedly innocent on purpose. Victor didn’t notice his friend behaviour right away, his perceptions numbed by the alcohol he had. A bit annoyed by his lack of reaction, Alienore inflated her cheeks, manifesting her irritation, and then let herself fall against the man, resting her chin on his shoulder and her generous breasts being pressed against his arm. She let out a heavy sigh, and in sigh matter, she had the best teacher. Her sighs were as communicative as Victor, but they were less impressive. The dark haired man didn’t flinch, but he swallowed difficultly, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. He was usually pretty indifferent to women, as the ones he knew in the past were only passing by, maybe with a short trip to his bed, but never reached his heart. But Alienore was different. So, so different. He slowly put the tablet down on the armrest.

\- What?

He spoke without softness, but he wasn’t strict or rude either. Victor looked at her and met her pretty face, their noses almost touching. She was closer than he thought and he was at lost for words while Alienore smiled at him softly and placed something in his hand. It was a pretty soft bristle brush, its dark wood, inlaid with mother of pearl, showing a delicate vine pattern where a few birds, their wings spread wide open, seemed ready to fly away. Victor had bought this brush for her, along with many other brushes, the day after her reappearance. For some unknown reasons, this one quickly became the white haired girl’s favourite. However, what she liked the most was to have Victor himself brushing her hair. The tall, dark haired man granted her that wish on the first days and he was now unable to get away from it. Alienore would come back to him continuously, almost every night, always carrying this wooden brush along with her. He sighed, to keep up appearances, showing her the space in front of him with a head sign. Just as she was used to, she sat on the ground before him, sending a last bright smile his way before she straightened her back, waiting for him to start. Victor, who acquired a few skills and improved his technique over the past few days, softly started to brush the girl’s silky hair. His movements were soft, almost carrying some tenderness. From time to time, he would let the pulp of his finger run behindher ears, and some other times he would be softly caressing the base of her neck. If Alienore was shivering under his touch, he would feel the chill running down his spine. If Alienore was giggling, the corners of his mouth would slightly curve upwards for a few seconds.. After a while, Victor was almost deliberately having his fingers running on her skin. He’d been brushing her hair for a long time now but, as he was leaving his thoughts flew away freely, he wasn’t bored yet. Victor soon surprised himself wondering if the girl’s lips were as soft as her skin, or what they could be tasting like... and he promptly put the brush down. These sweet thoughts had him taking a step back like holly water would’ve scared the devil away. Alienore turned around to look at him, taken aback by how eagerly he ended their brushing session, her eyes filled with a myriad of questions. But he was already up and walking away.

\- You should go to bed, he said in a cold voice, walking up the hallway. It’s late.

The steel grey eyed man didn’t looked back and was quickly gone. The beautiful white haired girl was still sitting on the ground, dumbfounded. As many others, her questions would stay unanswered.

Victor promptly locked himself in the bathroom and doused his face with ice cold water, fighting off the heat that had taken his cheekbones and stomach over. Then he dried himself, placed his hands flat on the marble vanity and took a deep breath. As he let the air out of his lungs just as slowly, he lifted his head up, only to meet the steel of his own gaze. A warm shade of lavender seemed to be making its way up to spread over the usual coldness of his metallic irises. Day after day, the shade would grow. He looked at his reflection for a long time, having a silent conversation with himself. After a few more minutes, his chest was going up and down slowly, and he was breathing easily. Victor stood up and started to unbutton his shirt, with the intention to take a shower, when he heard the faint sound of Alienore’s footsteps in the hallway. It was barely noticeable for someone not familiar with them, but the footsteps stopped by the door. A few seconds went by, as if the girl was about to knock at the door, but everything remained silent. The man heard her footsteps again and he kept listening to them until they’d completely disappeared. Victor was standing still, since he froze as he heard Alienore walking by the door, but he quickly took the rest of his clothes off. He really needed that shower...

Freshened up, most of is inebriated state washed away by the hot water and closer to the good ol’ Victor, impressive and unshakable, the latter walked out of the bathroom with only a towel tied around his waist. In his hurry, he forgot to bring in clean clothes before he locked himself up. On the way to his bedroom, he stopped by the guest room, that was now Alienore’s room.... and a room he would share with her part-timely. Almost every night, Alienore terrified cries would wake him up in the middle of the night. The only way to get the poor girl back to sleep was to hold her tightly in his arms until she’d be able to get out from her horrible trance. Therefor, Alienore would usually let her door wide opened. But tonight, it was closed-shut. Victor frowned, feeling a bit offended, but resumed his walk down the hallway and towards his own room, grumbling quietly.

A few hours later, when the dark haired man was sound asleep, his bedroom’s door opened silently. A stealth slip, muffled footsteps then the rustle of the blanket and sheets, nothing would wake him up. However, when a shadow hovered over his face, Victor woke up in fright and suddenly drew himself up, pinning down the intruder against the mattress before he could even see anything through the veil his slumber left behind. When the shroud obscuring his sight dissipated, he was facing two big cerulean blue eyes, stunned and frightened. He recognized them immediately. The trespasser he rudely immobilized, their wrists into the man’s large hands and their frail body held against the mattress by Victor’s strong and toned body... was Alienore. She wasn’t even trying to fight back. She was just staring at him with her ethereal look. The seconds went by slowly and only the sound of their heavy breathing was disturbing the silence in the room. The panic gradually disappeared from her beautiful face, her lips remaining slightly parted, but always so quiet. Nose to nose, their breaths mingled together, none of them seeming to be ready to move. Alienore wasn’t wearing her robe anymore. She was only wearing her nightie, which was indecently sliding up her thighs, imprisoned by Victor’s. By dint of losing himself into the girl’s soft features, framed by her silvery-white hair, ghostlike shades dancing on them as they were lit by the moon, Victor couldn’t help but feel like his whole body was catching on fire. Her breasts, splendid and perfectly shaped was pleasantly pressed against his chest, providing him with a complete and enticing view on them. He was feeling the heat of her body under his, just as he was feeling every shivers running down her spine... The man gulped nervously but remained motionless a few more seconds. His heart was pounding into his brain and his mouth was dry. Slowly, really slowly, Victor lowered his head until his forehead rested against hers. His fingers tightened around Alienore’s wrists as they were still looking at each other. The atmosphere around them had changed. Despite the large amount of space available in the room, it suddenly felt like if it was too small for this new ambience to take place. Tension reigned in the air, invigorating, electrifying... and they were both feeling it down to their bones. Victor was rejecting it, fighting it with all his might, his veins now carrying lava through his whole body, while his beautiful friend didn’t seemed to be bothered by the tightness in her lower abdomen, delighted by the shudders running across her skin. As he was looking into Alienore’s eyes, filled with trust and tenderness, Victor finally gave in. He freed the girl’s wrists and slipped his hand under her shoulders as he was burying his face into her neck. They’ve never been this close to each other before, even through all these nights Victor had been holding the ethereal girl in his arms to bring her back to sleep. Alienore then locked her arms around the man’s neck, lifting her head slightly to rest it against his large and strong shoulder. Her body, and all her luscious curves, were fitting him perfectly, just like if they were meant for each other. She could feel Victor’s heart beating against her thorax. His firm body against her, the warmth of his bare chest through the thin fabric of her nightwear... None of them moved for a while, not wanting to leave the other’s embrace of break the enchantment they apparently both fell for... until Victor quickly let go of her and rolled over the other side of the bed, showing his back to the girl.

\- Don’t you ever do that again, he said, in a low hoarse voice, sending a new shivers down Alienore’s spine since it seemed charged with intensity and repressed feelings.

The silence came back in the room, and nothing would disturb it again that night. Once more dumbfounded, Alienore didn’t moved for a while, laying on her back as the warmth Victor left behind was slowly disappearing, leaving her with a cold and sharp feeling of loneliness. When she finally recovered her ability to move, she dragged herself to the other side of the bed, curling up against the broad, athletic back of the business man. Even if his arms wouldn’t be wrapped around her that night, Alienore was feeling safe and she only needed a few minutes to fall sound asleep, while she struggled to evenclose her eyes for hours when she was alone in her room. On the other side, Victor was staring at the wall in front of him, his brows furrowed, his teeth gritted, his body stiffed, denying the tightness down his crotch and his fingers clenched on the corner of his pillow. His night would be deprived of any form of sleep, since he would spend the entire time fighting against the impulses of his body and trying to tame his frenetic heartbeats. The man’s thoughts were tangled in a swirl of contradictory emotions and indecent scenarios. They were raging so loudly in his mind that, for a moment, he feared they would wake up the girl sleeping by his side. Thankfully, Alienore’s breath remained calm and steady, in perfect opposition to the battlefield Victor’s psyche had become. They were like day and night, shadow and light, hot and cold... but together, they were whole. Together, they could do anything.


	11. The Aquarium

Afterwards, the two of them kept acting just as if nothing happened, same as they always did, neither of them referring to this embrace ever again, even though it was really different from any other ones they shared. Alienore was as dashing, cheerful and tactile as she has always been and Victor was the same stern, unfaltering and impressive man.

A week later, he helped the girl to put a coat and a pair of boots on. The weather suddenly got colder and, if it was similar to the early autumn the week before, the winter was now reclaiming its rights over the land. However, Alienore was absolutely refusing to wear a pair of pants or jeans. She even spent a whole hour with a pout on her face, sitting on the bed in her nightie, when Victor tried to get her to wear one. In the end, he gave up, simply commanding her to put on pantyhose if she didn’t want to wear pants. As he left the bedroom, vanquished, he chuckled ironically. In the business world, most were in fear of any negotiations in which he was participating. But this morning, he let a woman almost half his size walk all over him...That was a tremendous turnaround!

The girl finally exited the room wearing the pantyhose requested by her friend, a black braces skirt stopping right above her knees and a tight-fitting red cashmere sweater. She embellished her outfit with a black velvet choker necklace, supporting a small silver ornament with an ovoid jasper stone, and a beret. Even if she knew nothing about it, Alienore immediately arranged her clothes and accessories with flair and elegance. Actually, even Victor was impressed by the girl’s fashion choices. However, he never suggested anything and he avoided to introduce her to magazines and tv shows until now. Alienore was never exposed to any external influences. It was another thing she just did naturally, in defiance of all logical explanations.

Despite their adventures in the morning, Victor succeeded into getting the white haired girl into the car, a bit after lunchtime. Even then, it was a long shot. The temperature being considerably colder, their breaths now produced this white vapor, iconic phenomenon in cold days like this. Alienore was so impressed she stood still next to the car, just to look at it, for at least fifteen minutes… before she realized the mist subsisted longer when in contact with the car windows, where she could trace forms and letters into it. The girl drew a small sun into a corner of the window, despite Victor’s frowns. She turned towards him and smiled happily while the man sighed softly, like he always did when Alienore was acting like a child. A clear sigh, not too reproachful, but not too soft either. Nevertheless, when he turned around to look at the road, the left corner of his mouth was slightly lifted, giving him half a smile he wouldn’t show Alienore, to avoid pushing her further into her childish behaviors. But a spark of light remained into his eyes, only sign of the warmth the silver haired girl brought into his life.

When he parked the car, a bit later, Alienore’s nose was pressed against the window, her eyes wide open, as she discovered the strange building in front of them. The girl wondered why it was looking so odd and what Victor wanted to do here, and she wouldn’t have to wait long to know the answer. The steel gray eyed man opened the car’s door, holding out a hand she grabbed immediately. Once she got out of the car, he wouldn’t let go of her hand. He kept it tightly locked into his, weaving his fingers through hers. Alienore could feel his warmth, pleasant and soft, through their gloves, strongly contrasting with the cold air around them. She looked at their hands, entwined together, and lifted up her eyes to meet her friend’s back, his strong and appealing shoulder line barely attenuated by his elegant woolen coat. They were soon going through the tall glass doors of the building and ended up in a vast hall, taking the white haired girl's breath away. The architecture of the structure would’ve let the cat out for almost any other girl, since it was shaped like a giant freighter, made of glass and concrete, but Alienore still had a lot to learn. Therefore, it’s the hall that impressed her. However, it wasn’t the incredibly high ceilings that got into her. She was already familiar with them since their trip to the shopping mall, more than a week ago. What impressed her the most were the deep blue walls with watery reflections dancing all over them, making her feel like if she was walking under water. Dragging, once more, a so fascinated Alienore she was almost forgetting to walk, Victor made his way to the reception desk. He paid for their entries and a nice lady invited him to drop their coats to the cloakroom. This being done, the tickets to recover their coats safely put away in his pocket, the steel gray eyed man took Alienore’s hand back, in a gentler way. Even if the silver-haired girl was still completely absorbed by the sculptures representing many different fishes and cetaceans hanging high above their heads, Victor gave her plenty of time to look at them before leading her towards the large hallway labeled as “Start”. A soon as they got over that point, the ceilings and walls turned into a glass dome, submerging them into a wonderful oceanic scenery. The ceilings were considerably lower, but the water above them made them feel as if there was no difference. Everywhere around them, an endless number of fishes of different types, shapes, sizes and colors were peacefully swimming, barely aware of their presence. Alienore’s eyes were shining more than ever as they walked further into the glass tunnel. She stopped mid-way, one of the most colorful fish catching her attention. Victor stayed behind her, a hand into his jeans pocket as his other hand nonchalantly rested along his body. As the girl had eyes only for the marine life around them, the man, his steel gray gaze shining softly through the ebony black locks before them, wouldn’t take his eyes off of her, not even for a split second. The steel of his irises had softened up and a discrete tenderness was bringing out the lavender shade they hid so well in other circumstances. The warmth, spreading from his chest to the rest of his body, felt as soft as the ethereal girl’s skin. This girl… He’d never have enough of her. He’d never have enough to see her discover the world around her. He’d never have enough to see her bloom and shine through the dullness of this world. A water pearl slowly arose from the corner of Alienore’s eye and rolled down her cheek. She was so moved by the ocean like ambiance she couldn’t hold back her tears. The affection Victor had for her suddenly showed on his face for a moment. He gently placed a hand on the top of her head and she turned around slowly in order to face him. The white-haired girl was a bit surprised by the tender gaze her friend laid on her, but the emotional outburst getting a hold of her was so strong she could only drew herself closer to him. She was soon circled by two strong and protective arms. Pressed against Victor’s chest, her arms around his thin waist, they kept looking at the beautiful marine creatures before their eyes. When her friend was holding her like that, she could feel his warmth through the cotton of his shirt, as black as every other shirt she saw on him before. But what she liked the most was to hear his heartbeat, as peaceful as it was frantic the day before. Through their whole life, none of them ever felt like they did at that moment. None of them remembered living such a pleasant moment. Victor leaned closer, bringing his lips close to her ear, so close she could feel his soft breath on the skin of her neck.

\- I said I’d show you more fishes, he said in a low, raspy voice.

His intonations were so deep, that when he spoke at the bottom of his voice like that, Alienore shivered slightly despite the warmth of their bodies. But Victor wasn’t exactly done.

\- I always keep my promises…

This time, the perfectly drawn lips of the steel gray eyed man softly touched her skin, covering her whole body with goosebumps. If she knew better, she would’ve kissed him. But since all she knew was purity and pain, innocence and sadness, all she could do was to pressed herself against him even more, to hold him tighter, as if she was promising him she’d never leave his side again, just like he promised, as they stood by that fountain on another day, to bring her to the aquarium.


	12. The Return

A week later, Victor had no other choice but to go back to work. It had been two weeks since he last showed up at LFG and taking any more days off could have serious consequences. Therefore, the great business man woke up his friend at dawn before leaving the room to go in the shower, officially starting his working day’s routine. Since that night where Alienore quietly slipped in his bed, the two friends agreed, without talking about it, that they’d share Victor’s bed from now on. The man quickly set up boundaries, keeping him from getting too close to her. He only held her in his arms when she had those terrible nightmares, that were considerably less frequent now that she was sleeping by his side. If he was to allow himself any latitude, he felt like something inside him would free a cyclone of feelings he wasn’t ready for. 

When he came back in the bedroom, only wearing his unbuttoned suit pants, he found his friend laying across the bed. Apparently, she tried to get up… but failed to get out of bed before she fell asleep again. Victor woke her up once more, without giving her the opportunity to fail this time, pushing her himself from the bedroom to the shower. Alienore wasn’t used to getting up that early, since Victor would often let her sleep until breakfast, and it didn’t seem to do her any good. 

Despite her obviously not convinced expression, the great business man got her to shower, dress up and have breakfast before being late. Of course, they weren’t ahead of time either. Victor was standing next to the entrance door in the hall, his coat and shoes on, his briefcase in hand as he looked at the time on his watch.

\- Alienore, we have to go now! He said, loudly enough for her to hear him across the house.

The girl appeared a few long seconds later, dragging her feet. She had tied her hair up into a loose but elegant bun and put a pretty pastel blue off-shoulders blouse and a deep charcoal colored pencil skirt she embellished with a thin brown-leather belt. The beautiful woman was also holding one of the pretty pair of heels Victor lined up near their dressing’s door for her to pick one. Wearing her winter boots, as elegant were they, would’ve ended up being quite inconvenient throughout the day, and there wasn’t any snow yet anyway even if the ground froze a while ago. The shoes were a delicate model of round-tipped shoes covering her toes. A thin strap was circling the ankle and the heels were quite high for a novice, but since they were more squarely shaped and large enough, she was perfectly steady on them. In the past few days, in opposition to his usual self, Victor took some time to show her appropriate outfits to wear in an office. His return being imminent, he wanted to avoid as much trouble as possible, even if Alienore wasn’t the kind of girl that dressed indecently. It was mostly to keep her from standing out among the other employees. With her silver hair, it was already a long shot. He even thought, at some point, to ask her if she’d be willing to dye them into a more average color, in blond, at the very least. However, he gave up on this as soon as he thought of it, a sharp feeling of guilt running through him. This proposition was way too disrespectful and degrading towards her. Besides...he liked Alienore exactly the way she was. Her moon-like hair, her ethereal gaze, her little nose slightly turned-up and her luscious lips, their delicious raspberry-like color ready to haunt any man’s dream… The girl was a real beauty, without any make up or alterations.

Alienore put her shoes down on the marble tiles of the hall and slid her pretty little feet into them, her eyes barely open as she looked straight in front of her. She almost seemed to be asleep even if she was standing right there this instant. The straps buckled up, she reached for her coat hanging on the wall when it suddenly took off by itself, flying out of her reach. Bewildered and confused, she followed its course until she realized Victor picked it up before her and was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, obviously condemning her actual lack of awareness. He took the scarf out of her coat sleeve and tucked the latter under his arm. The man cautiously circled her neck with the scarf, making sure she was correctly covered then helped her to put her coat on. Chivalry or paternalism? Hard to tell. However, the girl was finally ready to leave the house, following Victor’s hasty pace. 

Suspecting a whole army of reporters were probably camping in front of the main entrance since last week, Victor decided to use the underground parking and, moreover, its secondary entrance. Only a few brave journalists were standing around it, but between the dark tinted windows and the gate that closed behind it, they didn’t stand a chance. Miraculously, no living being was to be seen in the parking beside them. Only the cars were left to wait. It wasn’t really surprising since every workers must’ve reached their desks at this time. As Victor opened the passenger’s door, his friend frowned and crinkled her nose. Apparently, the gasoline and exhausts smells saturating the concrete weren’t pleasing her. Unfortunately, Victor had no time to gush over Alienore’s discoveries right now. He had lost way more than enough while he tried to get her out of bed, since leaving her alone at home was out of question. Victor gently grabbed the girl’s arm, right above her elbow, and led her towards the elevator. Alienore was laying her gaze on everything it could. However, instead of her usual amazed expression, like the one she had at the shopping mall, at Souvenir or the Aquarium, she now seemed to be daunted, walking as close to her friend she could. But she wasn’t out of the woods yet. She calmly entered the elevator with Victor, but when the doors closed behind them, Alienore whined and pressed herself against him, grabbing his arm tightly for even more reassurance. Since she spent that much time into that glass sarcophagus , where she was “stored” for years, she was abhorring confined spaces. Moreover, the movement of the cabin was absolutely not encouraging her to control her fears. Thankfully, Victor’s presence by her side gave her enough confidence to reach the last floor without panicking. When the doors opened, she repressed her surprise as she discovered a brand new scenery on the other side. She still ran out of the cabin, almost dragging the great businessman behind her… and then she froze. The last time she saw that many people gathered in the same location, it was at the shopping mall. Even there, these people were spread over the two floors of the whole building and they weren’t all staring at her. The usual noise reigning in the open-space gradually faded away until it reached a complete silence, and almost every employees stopped right in their tracks. Their boss was back, and he was accompanied! Who was that beautiful woman by his side? Victor loudly cleared his throat as his piercing gaze, even sharper than it usually was, wandered over the crowd. The message was clear. Each and every one of them immediately resumed their work, averting their gazes, apparently ashamed by their dramatic reactions… or because the big boss silently scolded them! Victor tightened his fingers around the girl’s arm a little and walked her through the open-space, towards the large hallway on the other side of the room. That hallway was gathering the more important position’s offices, like the company executives, the department directors and Victor’s own assistant on one side, and a series of amazingly wide windows on the other. The handsome CEO’s office was at the other end of this hallway, but looking by one of the windows, Alienore stopped mid-way. Victor stopped right in his track, a few steps further, almost exasperated, wondering why she suddenly stopped walking again. Again! When he turned around to look at her, the dark haired man realized Alienore had been caught up in the scenery below them, just like he was the first time he laid his eyes on one. From here, the cars seemed to be so small and the pedestrians were almost invisible. The city spread as far as the eye, only a few skyscrapers blocking their sight that seemed to go on forever. Unfortunately, the day was dark and gloomy, the heavy clouds foreshadowing the first snowflakes of the year would be appearing soon. A thick fog in the distance considerably reduced the amount of buildings they could see. However, the mist and its cotton-like appearance was fascinating Alienore just as much as anything else. Her ethereal gaze lost in the distance, she placed the tip of her gloved fingers on the glass wall, her full lips parting slightly as to let out an awestruck whisper. It was only a silent breeze that slid on her enticing raspberry lips. Victor let her look at the city below them, creating a breathtaking scenery for her, a few more minutes. At this point, he couldn’t do worse anyway. When the allotted time was up, he gently placed his hand back on the beautiful woman’s arm.

\- I need to get to work, he said in a low voice.

Alienore obediently followed the man into his office, discovering happily a new series of windows on the back wall, offering a view in another direction. Victor took off his coat and placed it on the hanger in a corner of the room. He then proceeded to recover his friend’s coat, as she was still completely in awe in front of the windows. Just like his house, Victor’s office was modernly decorated, all made of black and white. The desk itself presented straight lines with rounded edges, its width varying from a panel to the other, as it was often the case among furniture of this particular style. On the left, a small portion of the wall was covered with pale bricks, finely breaking the room’s otherwise monochrome tones. This portion of the wall was just wide enough to hang a tv screen on the upper part, and a flat fireplace on the bottom one. The brick segment being centered on the room’s width, there was only two tall bookcases on the farthest tier, in junction with the glass wall. A carpet imitating a black and white fur, in the shape of a big wildcat, a few decorative items here and there, always in black or white shades, and a couch facing the desk were completing the look of the room. Victor sat in his elegant rolling chair. Alienore, still not moving, was just behind him. The CEO took a deep breath and threw himself into all the work that accumulated in the past two weeks. He started with the astounding number of notifications on his PC screen, all of them being work related. He was at it for a bit more than thirty minutes when someone stormed in the room without a single knock at the door. Alienore jolted and Victor could feel her small hands grasping the back of his chair until her knuckles turned white. The intruder was no one else than Goldman, Victor’s assistant. The newcomer hastily walked to his boss’s desk and put down a great pile of file folders. 

\- Finally, Sir! You’re back, he exclaimed, as if he took his first breath since the great businessman in front of him left, two weeks ago. Many deals are about to slip through our fingers just because these files need your approval and signature. More are requiring your immediate attention since many of our business partners are pretty upset about your sudden disap…

The last half of the word died in Goldman’s mouth as he became aware of the pretty white haired lady. Victor crossed his hands on his chin, hiding the beginning of a sneer trying to take his lips over. Goldman stopped straight in his tracks, completely frozen, the look on his face expressing pure terror. He kept looking at the ethereal girl behind the boss’s chair. A woman? Alone with Victor in his office? Let’s say that by the way she stood so close behind the boss, she didn’t seemed to be here for a business appointment either… It wasn’t making any sense for the poor assistant. Victor and Alienore could only watch as the cogs in his brain were firing on all cylinders. The white haired girl slowly started to detail the young man in front of them, once the surprise wore off. Not tall nor small, his chestnut hair, kept short, he was repeatedly blinking behind his rectangular glasses, just like if the pretty girl behind his boss was only a figment of his imagination and would be disappearing soon. But she remained there, as real as he was, and Goldman slowly started to realize what he just did. His mouth opened and closed a few times, words trying to come out to no avail. 

\- Yes, Goldman? Said Victor, snapping the poor man out of his humiliating paralysis.

\- Uh… Yes, uh…. P-Pardon me Sir, he stammered, his cheeks quickly turning red. I didn’t know, you… I-I should’ve knocked, I… I, uh… It won’t happen again.

\- That’s it? Victor asked, unfolding his hand to reach out for the first folder at the top of the pile.

\- Yes, Sir. I-I’ll come back later with some other files requiring your attention.

\- Alright, you can go.

Goldman didn’t stick around for long after his boss implied the end of their brief meeting and disappeared as quickly as he came in. He ran out the door and never looked back, still bearing the mark of his astonishment on his face. This would provide serious material for any rumors around the office. As if there wasn’t enough already… Victor sighed and opened the file in his hands, one of those urgent matters he needed to take care of.

  
The steel gray eyed man worked restlessly for several hours, reading notes and reports, taking his own notes, making calls, etc. .. He didn’t have a single second to care for his friend. Thankfully, Alienore was remarkably calm and didn’t bother him at all. She slowly got to know her new environment, inspecting attentively every single trinket in the room, softly caressing a green plant with the tip of her fingers and letting her hand feel the roughness of the brick wall. She even leaned elegantly to run her hand into the faux-fur of the carpet. She was so calm, in opposition to her usual self, that Victor even stopped to hear the sound of her heels softly hitting the ground as she walked around the room. He even needed to lift his head up a few times to make sure she was still there. It’s only way past lunchtime that the great business man finally took off his glasses and put them down on his desk, massaging his nose bridge with a discomforted groan. Alienore was now sitting on the couch, a leg crossed over the other, her elbow resting on the armrest and her chin placed in the palm of her hand. She had a really grouchy pout on her face and she seemed to be bored to death. Victor suddenly realized how the last hours must’ve been extremely tedious and interminable for her. He’d need to rectify this situation since leaving her at home was and will always be off the table. Although Alienore was becoming even more functional and self-sufficient by the day, so many things could happen while he was away… And that wasn’t even including this organization, responsible of her captivity, that was without a doubt waiting for him to let his guard down, in order to take the girl back. Victor stood up, softly clearing his throat to draw the ethereal woman’s attention. She looked up at him, cranky, but she quickly jumped on her feet and ran to him when he picked up their coats. 

\- We’re getting lunch, he simply said.

Alienore wrapped her scarf around her neck by herself this time, but the man silently insisted to hold her coat as she slid her arms into the sleeves. 

When they walked through the open space, only a few brave souls dared to look at them. The merciless gaze he laid upon them in the morning made them understand the reasons behind the presence of the beautiful woman on his arm had absolutely nothing to do with them. It was probably because of Victor’s silent warning that none of the employees dared to notify Goldman about her. However, he came back with another pile of files, just like he said he would, except that he was way more discreet and made sure to knock at the door first. 

When they returned from the small restaurant where they had lunch, the swarm of reporters in front of LFG’s entrance was twice, if not thrice bigger than it was in the morning. Despite the short distance between the office tower and the restaurant, Victor preferred to use the car and with the growing number of journalists, he had been right. The news of his return, and the mysterious woman by his side, spread like a trail of powder. Some employees must’ve had a hard time holding their tongues with such a spicy story at the tip of their fingers. At the very least, all of them had the finesse to pretend Alienore’s presence was just as natural as their boss’s when they crossed the open-space the second time. It was Victor’s turn to be a sourpuss. Their waitress treated Alienore like a child the whole time and it brought him to be quite cranky, therefore he couldn’t repress the displeased growl that came up his throat when they passed in front of the building and the incessant flux of journalists. As days were going by, Alienore was growing in maturity and was catching up quite fast on the time she lost sleeping in her pod. That’s exactly why Victor crossed his arms on his chest before the beginning of their meal and expressed his discontent with the same clearing of his throat he gave his employees earlier that day, along with the incisive look that came with it as soon as she used a childish tone, rising her voice to a higher pitch, as she addressed Alienore a second time. The white haired girl wasn’t some kind of oddity to look at, nor a pet and certainly not a child and Victor wouldn’t allow anyone to treat her like one. Unfortunately, he stayed in a foul mood after that and the crowd in front of his building wasn’t doing any good. He used the secondary entrance of the underground parking once more, but it was also suffering from the reporter’s presence now. He easily made his way in anyway and left them outside the gate before they realized who just entered the parking lot. Thankfully, the great businessman didn’t fall for those big shiny cars, instantly recognizable, many of his fellow comrades from the rich and powerful club were often seen with. Victor’s vehicle was a high quality, elegant and performing car. Even if it was just as equipped and luxurious as any spanking new gleaming vehicle, it was way more discreet and easy to hide among any others. 

For their third elevator trip, Alienore was doing a lot better than for the two previous ones. Alas, he could already see that her grouchy pout was coming back running, even if it disappeared as soon as he picked up their coats earlier. She was probably seeing herself going through another set of never-ending hours of Victor’s work. However, she didn’t make a single sound when they walked up the hallway, nor when they entered his office. Her friend took of his coat, then helped her to do the same, and hanged them while Alienore walked to the couch where she sat again without any enthusiasm, in the same grumpy position. Victor pressed his lips together. He really needed to find something to do for her. Giving her a small job in a company like LFG’s shouldn't be that hard! Worst case scenario he could always ask her to file a few papers until he comes up with a better idea. 

The tall and handsome man sat in his chair once again and resumed his work. Thankfully, as some sort of miracle, a few shy knocks on the door interrupted his work less than forty-five minutes later. He raised his head and the door opened a few seconds later, Goldman, an uneasy look on his face, appearing through the half-open door.

\- Sir, he said in a trembling voice. You’re appointment has arrived.

Victor’s right brow raised for a split second above his stone-cold face before he frowned deeply, manifestly upset. The business man quickly opened his schedule on his PC and there was indeed an appointment planned with one of their most important clients. However, something wasn’t right.

\- I never approved this, Victor said in a strongly displeased tone, as the muscles of his face stiffened.

Goldman became livid and completely entered the room, but kept a hand on the handle, without closing the door.

\- Yes, uhm… I know, Sir. But they strongly insisted. They even threatened us to terminate any business with us on the spot if they weren’t seeing you today.

Victor sighed heavily, visibly annoyed. Since they were taking it that way…

\- Tell them I’ll be there in a minute.

The steel gray eyed man took off his glasses, putting them away in the internal pocket of his suit jacket. 

\- Alright Sir, answered Goldman. They’re waiting for you in the conference room.

On these words, the assistant slipped out the room once again, quickly closing the door behind him to leave his boss with the beautiful white haired lady. Alienore hadn’t look at Goldman the whole time he was in Victor’s office. However, her ethereal gaze seemed to recover its life, a spark lighting up the cerulean blue of her irises again when it caught Victor’s motions. The man stood up and picked up a few things: a notepad and the client’s file, that was suspiciously into the urgent matters pile Goldman brought in earlier. He walked through the room, ready to leave, but Alienore didn’t move a muscle. Victor stopped, his hand on the door handle and turned his upper body towards her. He met her gaze and they stood still for a while, silently looking at each other. Every times he was scanning the depth of her eyes, he was feeling all the tenderness her little body contained. Furthermore, he could swear he was hearing a voice, a sweet, charming and barely audible woman’s whispers. It was so close to inaudible that Victor doubted he was really hearing it at some point, since he was always failing to understand what the voice was saying. His heart rate rose slightly. He was thinking about asking the girl to wait for him here, alone in his office, but it was now obvious that it wouldn’t be the case. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed difficultly, a sudden drought invading his mouth. With an unambiguous head sign, Victor invited the beauty sitting on his couch to follow him. 

In the conference room, three person were waiting for the handsome CEO. Two men and a woman, elegantly dressed, stood up when Victor entered the room. They all had that wealthy look on their faces, that vibe that often made them insufferable. The eldest, obviously in his sixties, walked to him and gave him a solid handshake, common among businessmen, but superbly ignored the girl standing a few steps behind him. It was a sturdy and stout man that obviously never said no to anything. His hair was entirely white and started abandoning the top of his head a while ago, but his blue eyes were probably as sharp as they were in his youth. Beside these eyes that had many men trembling before him, except Victor of course, there was nothing exceptional about him. A big nose, round cheeks and an obvious double-chin, he was far from being attractive.

\- Ah, Victor! You’re finally here, he said with his gruff voice. Bloody Hell, where have you been all this time? We have to talk, boy.

\- Mr. Ferguson, he greeted him, returning his handshake without batting an eye. The reasons behind my absence are none of your concern. Our businesses weren’t affected and all your projects are meeting the deadlines, without exception. Your visit is utterly irrelevant and irreverent.

\- Not exactly, said the man behind Mr. Ferguson. We have heavy modifications that need to be applied to our last project, before it enters the implementation phase.

That man was younger than his colleague, at the end of his forties at most. His ash blond hair, withering quickly as the years were taking its toll on him, was pulled back in the fashion of the last century. If his partner’s eyes were piercing and bright, his own gaze was dull and apathetic. He had such a dreary look that he would be completely invisible if he wasn’t that tall and bulky. Actually, his fat-bellied friend took the floor again. 

\- So, you already met Ben, my business partner, but let me introduce you to my daughter, Kelly, he said proudly, calling for the woman with a move of his hand. She will take over my business in a few years but she has to work her way up first!

A big, fat laugh shook up the man as he grabbed his daughter by the shoulders to hurry her towards Victor, a strange smile on his face.

\- Pleased to meet you, she said in a mealy-mouthed and flattering voice, extending a hand to the dark-haired man, as her father did before.

The woman was as petite and frail as Alienore, but she hadn’t been gifted with the ethereal girl’s curves, attractive and mesmerizing, just like she didn’t inherit her progenitor's sharp gaze. Actually, she had those small hazelnut eyes that had none of the vivacity her father was showing. She presented herself with a snooping gaze, mischievous and derisive, added to an overly present superiority complex, probably the result of a spoiled child no one cared to discipline. She was apparently trying to turn her nasty look into something enticing, but her gaze moved from the handsome CEO to the beautiful woman standing next to him. She instantly went from a warm, charming face to hard and ice-cold one. 

\- Your assistant's presence won't be required, she said, the warmth she had in her voice gone into the wind.

Victor furrowed his brows and clenched his teeth. He did not appreciate the tone the woman used to speak of Alienore. The tall businessman took a step back, delicately placing his hand in the white haired girl’s back, leading her to the chair next to the one he would sit in. 

\- Alienore is not my assistant, he answered, on an even more bitter and razor-sharp tone, without giving them any more explanations about the beautiful woman next to him. Can we get started? Your unexpected visit is already affecting my schedule in an unpleasant way.

Maybe it looked like one, but his question wasn’t one. All the blood was suddenly drawn from the three faces before them, telling the steel gray eyed man they perfectly understood the nuance in his tone. They immediately sat back into the chairs the occupied before Victor’s entrance. Alienore gave her friend an uneasy look, apparently worried about the cold she felt in his voice. She wasn’t used to hear the man’s voice snap like it did. And yet, besides the beautiful white haired girl, those who knew Victor rarely heard anything else from him but this ice-cold tone. 

The meeting lasted until the end of the afternoon. Mr. Ferguson, ex-pharmacist reconverted into a businessman, owned a company that specialized in pharmacological products with his associate. His daughter, second generation’s pharmacist, was just entering the business world and the two men agreed to put their last project on ice to give her a chance to take her marks. They were therefore wishing to reorient the last funding LFG accorded them towards Kelly’s project. Of course, they needed to submit the idea to the stern and unshakable man in front of them and get his approval. However, even if it was her project, Kelly barely said anything during the presentation, apparently disheartened by Victor’s harshness. She even avoided to meet his steel gray eyes or to look at the pretty girl to his side. At the term of this reunion, Victor quickly dismissed the group, not without reminding them to wait for an approved appointment next time. He picked up the files he was given by the Fergusons and placed his hand on Alienore’s back once more with a surprising tenderness compared to the hurry and the irritation his body expressed. Alienore unexpectedly showed interest into the content presented in that meeting. She followed the discussions with a sharp eye and even took a peek at the documents accompanying the presentation and the notes Victor took about it. 

As soon as his office door closed behind him, Victor almost threw the Ferguson’s file, and a few more, into his briefcase and reached for their coats. It was enough for the day. Alienore was still staring at him with that adorable preoccupied look on her face as he wrapped her scarf around her neck once more. Victor had rarely, if ever, been in such a terrible mood since the day she appeared in his driveway. Seeing him like that worried her. Of course she felt that woman’s unpleasant, then obliterated, energy but she couldn’t understand how it could make him that angry. Only a few things would get a reaction from Victor. Today, however, the girl could clearly feel the fiery anger festering beneath his stone-cold expression. She just had the time to catch a glimpse of his mood fluctuation before he locked himself into his internal fortress once again, keeping her away from any further informations about his state of mind. He was out of reach, even for her. 

The CEO was closing the door after they exited his office when Goldman walked up the hallway, a new pile of files and papers in hand. Just like the previous times she met him, all Alienore could feel from the assistant was a constant agitation, as if he was worried about everything all the time. 

\- Oh, Sir, he said. You’re leaving already?

It was obvious that Goldman was hoping the answer would be a “no”, that he was simply going on another meeting, but he wasn’t naive either. 

\- Yes, Victor answered, as cold as he’d been since they met the Fergusons.

But Goldman was used to it. The steel gray eyed CEO walked past the man that had been his assistant for a few years now as if he wasn’t there. It’s Alienore that sent an embarrassed smile his way, uncomfortable with her friend’s attitude right now. Noticing she slowed down, Victor reached for her hand, weaving his fingers through hers, imposing his own pace. The girl had to break into a small jog to maintain the rhythm. The few courageous employees that lifted their heads up as the two friends walked past them had wide open eyes once again. Their proximity already surprised a great number of them in the morning, since Victor was known to be a lone-wolf who maintained a fair distance between himself and the others, both physically and emotionally. It was already enough to feed the gossip for a week, maybe even a whole month. Unexpectedly absent for two weeks, the boss was coming back with a mysterious woman he was now holding by the hand? The blabbermouths would be delighted to know about it. But Victor couldn’t care less since he only let go of the girl’s hand to open the passenger door when they finally reached the car. For one of the first times in his whole life, he only wanted one thing: to go home.


	13. Bedtime

Once more, the man pleased his friend with a succulent dinner. However, instead of enjoying the rest of the night with her like he used to, Victor surprised the white haired girl when he walked towards his office instead of the couch after he served himself his usual glass of Brandy. The girl didn’t dare to walk in this room, immediately reminded of the room she spent her whole day in. When she stopped by to look at him and understand what he could be doing, Alienore easily recognized the activities that busied his friend throughout the day and silently disappeared in the bathroom. Just like she did every night, she took a really long shower in really hot water. But tonight, the pretty, young woman didn’t even think about asking her friend to brush her hair, since she knew he had better things to do. Instead, she went back to the living room and sat comfortably in Victor’s favourite seat with a black notebook. She attentively reviewed every lesson Victor taught her from the very beginning, all preciously written in the notebook. It was a habit she developed by herself when Victor first began to teach her a thing or two, pushed by her insatiable thirst for knowledge. Since the day she revealed her capacity to communicate in writing at Souvenir, the steel grey eyed man gave her a huge variety of notebooks of all sizes and shapes. She entirely dedicated the one she was holding, a big hardcover notebook, to the lessons Victor was providing her. Later, she put down the notebook on the coffee table, her head full with a ton of academic notions. She listened for a moment, trying to figure out if Victor was done with his work, but she still heard the sounds of pages being turned, the scratching noise of a pen against paper... She had a really acute sense of hearing. Yet, Victor was obviously still working. Alienore sighed heavily and stood up to walk toward the tall bookcase at the back of the room. A full shelf was dedicated to her notebooks. She picked up a new one, smaller than the one she left on the end table, but with the same hard covering. However, instead of being black, this one was pink, a light and gentle pink. In this notebook, the girl was noting her discoveries, her impressions about her new world and her feelings towards all these new situations. It wasn’t always clear, but it was the only way she found to untangle this mess of new sensations and emotions she could hardly identify at times, without involving Victor. Needless to say she quickly learned that these kinds of subjects were mine fields with the business man. Everything could be fine for a second, Alienore detailing what she was feeling and her questions about it, then her friend would suddenly walk away without a single word, frowning. That night, the woman had a lot to write and she took the time to cautiously write down everything she remembered of her day at LFG. From the skyscraper and the view it offered on the city to the impressions the Fergusons left behind them, without forgetting this damn elevator of course, Alienore filled countless pages with her charming and refined handwriting. It was already late when she put down her pen and placed back the notebook on its shelf. 

Alienore tightened her silk robe on her shoulders. Once more, it was paired with a pretty nightgown, but, to Victor’s great relief, this one was almost sweeping the ground when the girl was walking. Coloured a soft powder blue, the neckline and the hem of both the nightdress and its robe where decorated with a thin lace lining, similar in shade to the silk of the dress. The focus was on the delicate pearl-white pattern on the silk that covered the whole robe then slowly faded away above the waistline of the dress. The girl gave a sad look to the hallway behind her, hesitating, but she walked it up anyway. Only the faint sound of her footsteps and the silk pleasantly sliding on her skin announced her arrival. She stopped by the door once more. Her friend was still sitting behind his dark wood desk, a multitude of papers scattered on its surface. He was scrolling down some document on his tablet, placed in front of him on its deck, in the middle of the mess. The knuckle of his index finger was pressed on his lips and his face showed how deeply focused, but also how tense, he was. Alienore was able to read the stiffness in his shoulders, his clenched teeth and this wrinkle above his left brow. The girl saw this wrinkle on enough occasions to know it was expressing a high level of contrariety. He’d taken his suit jacket off, now nicely folded in two on the back of his seat, and rolled his sleeves up. His tie was loose and the first buttons of his shirt were undone. This sight pleased the girl in a way she couldn’t describe. Alienore, her long moon-like hair now falling freely on her back, stood still in the doorway for a while. Victor didn’t seem to be aware of her presence yet, which was very unusual. She finally started to walk towards him slowly, not wanting to startle him if he happened to realize she was now in the room with him. But Victor remained completely fixated on his tablet’s screen, reflecting in his glasses and placing a mystical veil before his metallic gaze. A few misplaced strands of hair fell over the frame of his glasses, the consequence of him running his hand through it. Alienore was now behind him, giving the screen a quick glance. It was displaying a series of diagrams and charts that made no sense to her. The ethereal blue of her irises quickly went to Victor again. She was close enough to feel his slow and steady breathing, while hers was speeding up considerably. Her heartbeats quickly became unstable and erratic, without any apparent reason, now that she was standing so close without him knowing. His large shoulders, his deliciously toned back, his ebony black hair... Alienore suddenly felt an irrepressible need to touch him. She placed her long, fine fingers on his shoulder before she could stop herself, unable to control her desire to feel him beneath her fingertips.. Victor wasn’t startled at all. He slowly turned his upper body towards her, a brow highly arched when he discovered the girl behind him. But he quickly turned away.

\- I still need to work.

He talked in a firm voice, but a voice that, for an experimented ear like Alienore, was also obviously tired. It was a rare occurrence to hear such a weary tone in the great business man's voice. But the tiredness was there, insidious, subtle and hypocritical. A long shiver went down Alienore’s spine before spreading on her arms as goosebumps. 

Victor was back to work, but Alienore was still not moving a muscle. She was looking at the muscles of his neck and shoulders as they followed his slightest move, but remained tensed and stiffed. She put her hand on his shoulder once more, but quickly added the other one on the other side. He’s the one that shivered this time. But he didn’t show any other reaction. The silver haired girl then pressed her fingers on the muscles at the base of his neck, lightly at first but with more confidence as time passed. The man was surprised at first, a bit uneasy with this unexpected act of consideration. But slowly, Victor abandoned himself to the girl’s touch, putting down his pen and closing his eyes. He didn’t realize how stiff he was, nor how his body was suffering from the constant tension in his muscles. After a while, he was fully enjoying the pressure of her hands on his shoulders and upper back. Alienore was more at ease now that she could tell her friend was appreciating her initiative and she let her hands run lower along his back and on his arms. A few times, as she was reaching the most tensed zones, like along his spine or just under his shoulder blade, the steel grey eyed man surprised himself by letting out a few satisfied groans. He even ended up with his forearms on his desk, supporting his upper body weight as he leaned forward a little to give more room for Alienore to work her magic. The flow of his thoughts diminished until they only presented themselves in drips and drabs. His jaw relaxed, as did the expression on his face and his shoulder line. His breath even slowed down a little, in perfect opposition to Alienore’s that sped up once again. Her pretty cheeks were lightly coloured in pink and her mouth suddenly felt dry as a warm feeling made its way from her abdomen to her chest. She could even feel her heart beating in her throat while her hands ran along Victor’s muscles. Her gaze lingered on him shamelessly until it met the man’s neck, freed from his shirt by the inclination of his body. She gulped down the very little saliva in her mouth and brought her trembling hands up his back. Alienore didn't understand what these new sensations were or where they were coming from. She leaned on him a little, locks of her moon-like hair falling on her friend’s shoulders, and she slid her hands between the fabric of his shirt and his skin. Victor jolted. It wasn’t exactly the unexpected touch of her fingers on his skin that made him react, but the iciness of said fingers. Since when were her hands that cold? However, he didn’t stop her right away. He enjoyed the softness of her skin a little more, with a sigh of relief. Her ghostly hair surrounding him, he was completely wrapped in her sweet and fruity perfume. The CEO straightened his back and lifted up his head. He discovered his pretty friend’s face just above his. It’s the man’s chest that caught on fire this time, as their noses were touching. Their gaze met and locked with each other, feeling like they could never part. That bond they had back then remained stronger Victor thought it would, even if he already knew there was something exceptional about it. His adam’s apple moved up and down as he swallowed with some difficulty. He’d been caught off guard by the magnificence of the girl’s irises. He face was breathtakingly gorgeous... Victor couldn’t help but to engrave this moment into his memory. He was so absorbed by Alienore’s ethereal beauty he didn’t realize her hands had slid down even lower under his shirt, stroking his collarbone and chest softly. It’s only when her lips parted in a lustful way that he was shaken up by a violent shock running from his head to his toes. He immediately placed a hand over Alienore’s to stop her from moving even lower down his chest. However, he was still looking at her and would keep staring into the depth of her cerulean irises a bit longer. It felt like an eternity had passed in a heart-beat for them, even if Victor didn’t use his evol at all. He lowered his head back to a normal position, breaking the enchantment they were both caught in. He let go of her hands and cleared his throat. 

\- You should be sleeping, he said without looking at her. It’s late.

Usually, the moon-like haired girl was pretty receptive to her friend’s suggestions, but today she wouldn’t move. The heat on her cheeks had spread to her whole body, running through her veins like fire. It was so unusual for her that she thought she was sick for a moment. She quickly rejected this hypothesis though, since the warmth she felt was pushing her towards one thing: More. More of his skin under her fingers, more of his hands on her, more of his warmth around her... This feeling was highly disturbing for Alienore and she ardently wished to understand. But Victor was obviously not willing to explain anything. Since she was still not moving, he thought her usual reluctance was the reason behind her immobility. From the very moment he gave her a full access to his bedroom, Alienore refused to go to bed without him. This girl was stubborn sometimes....

\- I’ll be there in a minute, he sighed.

Behind, Alienore refrained to put her hand on his shoulder one last time before she slowly walked away, without looking back. Victor followed her with his eyes, lost in the mesmerizing movement of her hips, the shades on the silk of her nightgown giving it some kind of hypnotic power. Alienore out of sight, the CEO took off his glasses, putting them away from him on the desk, and hid his face in his hands for a second. He breathed in deeply and then started to tidy up the mess on his desk a little. He stacked the pieces of paper together, then shut down his tablet and placed it on its charging dock. It’s only once it was done that he finally stood up and left the room, bringing along his Brandy glass, empty for hours, and turning the light off behind him. The glass back on the silver tray, he quickly stopped by the bathroom to freshen up a little. Since he began sharing his room with Alienore, Victor left clean pyjamas in the bathroom in the morning. It saved them a few uneasy moments. Victor slowly changed into his black silk pyjama. The whole thing took him 20 minutes maximum, added to the 5 minutes he spent cleaning his desk. However, when he entered the room, the white haired girl seemed to be sleeping. She must’ve been exhausted after such a long day... She shouldn’t have waited for him to go to bed, but there were some unfaltering habits that weren’t worth the fight. The man slid under the sheets, Alienore’s back in front of him. He got as close as he could and gently stroke her cheek and neck previously hidden by her moon-like hair. Supporting his weight with his arm, Victor leaned on her, pressing his cheek against hers. He stayed in this position for a while. Just like that. He was enjoying the warmth of her body, the satin of her skin, the endearing smell of her perfume, the slow and steady rhythm of her breaths... Now at peace, the man slightly turned his head, his lips delicately touching the corner of her mouth. His breath mingled with hers and a new shiver went down his spine. Victor softly kissed the corner of her luscious lips. Her lips... he was more and more obsessed with them as the days passed by, but he knew he couldn’t, in all good conscience, taste them. 

\- What am I going to do with you, he whispered.

Burying these sultry feelings deep down in his heart, he backed off a little, just enough to lay his head behind Alienore’s, surprisingly at peace. Lulled by the girl’s breathing, he fell asleep. However, he probably would’ve wanted to notice the discreet quiver in Alienore’s silver lashes. She wasn’t exactly asleep. She had faked her sleep in the beginning. She quickly started to float in between dreams and awareness once Victor joined her in the bed though, the warmth of his cheek against hers washing away any remaining uneasiness from what happened earlier. She was awake enough to hear every bit of his entrance and feel his embrace, but not enough to react in any way. Just like her friend, she quickly fell asleep, a sweet, enjoyable and comforting warmth all around her.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Sorry for any grammatical error(s) in the text. I originally wrote this Fanfic in French (because I'm a native French Canadian) and i may have messed up the grammar at some point when translating. Thanks for taking the time to read! xxx


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